A mother has been charged with criminal murder following the death of her 9-year-old daughter, who was found dead inside a car exposed to high temperatures last July in Galena Park, Texas, authorities said.

The woman, identified as Gbemisola Akayinode, 36, was arrested on Friday and was arrested her first court appearance Sunday. Her bail was set at $500,000, and she is due back in court Monday, according to county jail records reviewed by ABC7.

She left the girl with food, water, and melatonin

According to court documents, Akayinode admitted to leaving her daughter in the car while she worked an eight-hour shift at a USG factory, a manufacturer of industrial and construction materials.

The mother told police she rolled the rear windows. halfway down and left the girl with water, food, ice cubes, a fan, and melatonin so she could sleep. She didn't check on her again "because I was too busy," she told investigators.

At the end of her shift, Akayinode found the girl unconscious inside the vehicle and called for help. The girl was taken to a hospital, where doctors confirmed her death was due to hyperthermia.

The medical examiner determined the girl's body temperature was 42 °C (107.6 °F) at the time of her death.

It was not the first time she left her alone

Court documents revealed that Akayinode admitted to leaving her daughter alone in the car at least four times, including the day before the fatal incident.

She said she could not afford daycare until she received her paycheck. However, a coworker told investigators that he occasionally gave her money because he knew she was experiencing financial difficulties.

When officers asked her if she checked the weather forecast, she replied that she had not and that she had forgotten, according to case records.