A Houston man is facing murder charges after allegedly killing a man, stealing his car, and leaving behind a 2-year-old boy in the burning hot stolen SUV.
Bolanie Fadairo, 38, is charged with two counts of murder. Police investigators say that Michael Essien was standing by a gas pump filling his vehicle when Fadairo confronted him. The pair became embroiled in an argument, and Fadairo pulled out a gun and shot Essien multiple times. Video footage shows the altercation followed by the suspect driving off in the victim’s SUV with his son still inside the vehicle.
During the police investigation, at approximately 6:30 PM CST, Houston police received a call from a woman reporting that her husband and child were missing. The woman’s description of her husband matched the deceased’s, but there was no sign of a child. The call set in motion a search for her missing son.
Within a half-hour, police located the abandoned SUV in the 5900 block of Elm St. The little boy, Micah, was found unresponsive in the back seat, with temperatures in the car estimated to be around 94-95 degrees. Police and emergency responders-initiated lifesaving procedures, but the toddler was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance video from the gas station provided police with enough detail on the suspect to issue a description and eventually apprehend Fadairo, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, with a lengthy criminal history. He’s previously been arrested for property theft, assault causing bodily injury, drug possession, driving with an invalid license, evading arrest and detention, tampering with government records, and criminal trespass.
Fadairo has already admitted to police that he shot Essien because he owed the suspect money. He’s also charged with the young boy’s death because he left the young boy restrained inside a locked vehicle exposed to direct sunlight with no ventilation, creating extreme temperatures within the car. The suspect denied knowledge of the young boy being in the back seat of the SUV. Bail was initially set at $1.5 million, but the bond has since been revoked.
The victim, Michael Essien, and his wife had just welcomed the birth of a new baby a little over a week ago. He was employed as a security guard at the time of his death.
