TX mother jailed on felony murder after leaving 9-year-old in car

A Texas mother was jailed on a felony murder charge after leaving her 9-year-old daughter in a parked car for about eight hours while she worked a shift on July 1, authorities said. Gbemisola Akayinode, 36, was booked Oct. 19 on a $500,000 bond in connection with the death of her daughter in a parking lot at a mineral plant in Galena Park, in the Houston area, according to court records and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents and investigators say Akayinode left the girl in the back seat early that morning with food, water, ice, a rechargeable fan and a muffin, and with the rear windows partially down. Authorities said the girl had been given melatonin the night before and another dose the morning of July 1. Akayinode told investigators she watched her daughter begin to fall asleep before leaving for work at about 5:35 a.m. and did not return until about 1:53 p.m. Coworkers called 911 after Akayinode found the child unresponsive; CPR was performed and the girl was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by hyperthermia, and investigators reported the child’s body temperature reached 108 degrees....