In a case that underscores the deadly and swift consequences of hot cars, a Texas mother has been charged with the murder of her 9-year-old daughter, who succumbed to the blistering heat after being left inside a vehicle for over eight hours.

The life of Oluwasikemi Akayinode ended tragically on July 1. According to Harris County authorities, her mother, 36-year-old Gbemisola Akayinode, went to her shift at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, leaving the child in the car on a day when temperatures reached 99 degrees.

Court documents paint a heartbreaking picture of the mother’s failed precautions. Gbemisola Akayinode stated she parked at work around 5:45 a.m., leaving her daughter with food, water, ice cubes, a rechargeable fan, and the back windows partially down. She also gave the girl melatonin, a sleep aid, and saw her begin to doze in the back seat.

Tragically, the mother did not return to check on her daughter until her shift ended at nearly 2 p.m. She found the child unresponsive and with a blue tint to her skin, prompting her to scream for help. The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by hyperthermia, or heat stroke.

The arrest affidavit reveals further troubling details. While the mother claimed she brought Oluwasikemi to work because she couldn’t afford daycare, investigators discovered that her job foreman was actually paying for childcare. She had also brought her daughter to work on several previous occasions.

After waiting for the conclusive autopsy results, officials arrested Gbemisola Akayinode on Friday. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

This devastating incident is part of a grim national statistic. According to the nonprofit KidsAndCars.org, Oluwasikemi is one of at least 30 children who have died in hot cars in the United States so far this year—a heartbreaking and preventable loss that continues to claim young lives.