Eight hours is an entire work shift — and that is exactly how long a little girl named **Oluwasikemi Akayinode** waited in the back seat of a locked car while the temperature inside climbed to **potentially lethal levels**.
On the morning of **July 1**, authorities say her mother, **Gbemisola Akayinode**, drove to the **mineral plant** where she worked in **Galena Park, Texas**, and parked her **Toyota Camry** in the employee lot. Her **nine-year-old daughter**, Oluwasikemi, stayed in the car. The windows were **slightly cracked**, a **fading sunshade** was placed against the windshield, and a bottle of water was
left beside her — small measures that could not protect her from the **relentless summer heat**.As the morning turned into afternoon, the Texas sun pushed temperatures into the **mid-90s**, meaning the interior of the car likely soared to **130°F or higher** within an hour. Surveillance footage later confirmed the vehicle had remained untouched for the entire duration of the mother’s shift.
It wasn’t until Akayinode returned to her car around **4 p.m.** that she found her daughter **unresponsive**. Paramedics were called, but it was too late. Oluwasikemi was pronounced **dead at the scene**, her death attributed to **heatstroke**.Investigators with the **Harris County Sheriff’s Office** described the case as one of the most heartbreaking they had seen, given the child’s age and the length of time she was left alone.
The mother, now facing **criminal charges**, told detectives she believed her daughter would be safe waiting in the car while she worked.Experts emphasize that even brief exposure to extreme heat inside a vehicle can be fatal — and that tragedies like Oluwasikemi’s are **entirely preventable**. Her death has reignited urgent conversations about **heat safety and parental responsibility**, serving as a sobering reminder of how fast tragedy can unfold.
