A three-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car for more than five hours whilst a child protective services contractor allegedly stopped to shop for tobacco and food, sparking outrage and calls for accountability across Alabama.
Ketorrius “KJ” Starks Jr was discovered unresponsive in a vehicle parked outside a home on Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham on Tuesday evening, after his foster parent went to collect him from daycare and found he was missing. The boy had been trapped in the car from 12.30pm to 5.30pm with temperatures reaching a heat index of 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42°C).
Birmingham Police found the child strapped in his car seat with the windows closed and the engine not running. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6.03pm by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service.
Supervised Visit Turned Tragedy
The boy, who was in temporary foster care through the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), had been collected from daycare at 9am for a scheduled supervised visit with his biological father at the DHR office in Bessemer, according to family attorney Courtney French.
The visit ended at approximately 11.30am, after which a contractor employed by The Covenant Services, Inc. was meant to return the child to daycare. Instead, the worker allegedly stopped to purchase food for her family and shop at a tobacco store before driving to her own home, leaving Ketorrius in the vehicle.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” the boy’s parents said in a statement through their attorney. “Our baby should be alive.”
Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates confirmed the child had been left alone in the car for five hours. With outside temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s and humidity factored in, the National Weather Service reported it would have felt as high as 103 degrees at 1pm.
Contractor Terminated Immediately
The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed the incident involved a third-party contractor, stating: “A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.”
French estimated that with the extreme heat conditions, “the interior temperature of the car where KJ was trapped likely exceeded 150 degrees.”
The contractor, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning and has been cooperative with the investigation, according to police.
Family Demands Justice
Ketorrius Starks Sr, the boy’s biological father, described his son as a “smart, brilliant, bright little child” who was “very intelligent” and knew how to count, his colours, and all the animals at just three years old.
“As soon as I leave my son, the first thing he says is, ‘Daddy, I want to go with you.’ He says that every time, and it really hurts,” Starks Sr told local media, fighting back tears.
The boy’s aunt, Brittney Johnson, explained the usual routine: “His foster parent drops him off at daycare, the transporter of DHR picks him up from daycare and then brings him to the DHR building in Bessemer to have supervised visitation.”
The family is demanding accountability beyond the termination of the employee. “Because it was neglect. I feel personally that he was neglected and that’s the true cause of his death,” Johnson stated.
Political Response and Calls for Reform
Alabama legislators have begun weighing in on the tragedy, with Senator Merika Coleman stating: “As a mother and as the Senator for the district where this tragedy happened, I am devastated by the death of little KeTorrius Starks Jr. We need answers, and we may need to examine state law to make sure this never happens again.”
Representative Ontario Tillman expressed shock and confusion, saying: “My initial reaction is one of shock and confusion. How and why did this happen? I am more concerned about the family of this young child, dealing with this tragedy at this moment. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family.”
Representative Ginny Shaver offered a different perspective, stating: “This horrific tragedy appears to be unintentional negligence of one person, not the Department of Human Resources. It is my understanding it was not a DHR employee but a local service provider.”
First Alabama Hot Car Death of 2025
According to Kids and Car Safety, a national non-profit organisation tracking such incidents, Ketorrius was the first child to die in a hot car this year in Alabama and the sixteenth across the United States in 2025.
The organisation reports that since 1990, at least 1,140 children have died in hot cars nationwide, with another 7,500 surviving with varying degrees of injury. On average, 38 children die each year from heatstroke inside vehicles.
“This is one of those things that nobody thinks is going to happen to them, until it does,” said Amber Rollins, director of Kids and Car Safety.
Comparison to Recent California Case
The tragedy occurred just weeks after a one-year-old California boy died when his mother, Maya Hernandez, 20, allegedly left him and his two-year-old brother in a hot car for more than an hour whilst she received lip filler treatment at a medical spa in Bakersfield.
Hernandez has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of wilful cruelty to a child. She pleaded not guilty and is being held on more than £800,000 ($1 million) bail.
Investigation Ongoing
Birmingham Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ketorrius’s death. The case has raised serious questions about oversight of third-party contractors used by state agencies to transport children in care.
Ernest Miller, a cousin from the foster family, told reporters: “We were all looking forward to him growing up and being a part of this family, and now he’s just gone. We went to the theme parks; we had a blast. We went to the swimming pool. We just got back Friday.”
The tragedy highlights the vulnerability of children in state care and the critical importance of proper protocols and supervision when transporting young children, particularly during extreme weather conditions.
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