Social services, the agency responsible for protecting vulnerable children from neglectful environments, failed in its duty after leaving a 3-year-old boy to lose his life in a hot car.
Three-year-old Ke’Torrius Starks Jr. was under the care of a Department of Human Resources worker in Birmingham, Alabama, when he tragically passed on Tuesday (July 22).
Tuesday was a First Warning Impact Day, with the heat index in the triple digits, local NBC affiliate WVTM13 reported.
Starks was identified by his father at the coroner’s office. He was found in a hot car outside a home on Pine Tree Drive.
A 3-year-old boy from Alabama lost his life after being abandoned in a hot car
Image credits: FOX54 News Huntsville / YouTube
The boy had reportedly been abandoned in the car between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. local time, and was pronounced deceased at 6:03 p.m.
The family’s attorney, Courtney French, described the incident as a “heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.”
She stated: “Based upon a preliminary investigation, with the current extreme outside temperatures and the heat index of 108 degrees (42 °C), the interior temperature of the car where KJ was trapped likely exceeded 150 degrees (65.5 °C).”
Image credits: CBS 42 / Facebook
A spokesperson for Alabama DHR told AL.com that a child “in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred” and that “the provider has terminated their employee.”
They added: “Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.”
Ke’Torrius Starks Jr. was in the custody of Alabama’s Department of Human Resources
Image credits: FOX54 News Huntsville / YouTube
Image credits: CBS 42 / YouTube
According to the family’s attorney, Starks was in temporary foster care and had been picked up from daycare at 9:00 a.m. for a supervised visit with his biological father, which ended around 11:30 a.m.
When that visit was over, Starks was never returned to daycare, said his aunt, Brittney Debruce.
Instead, the worker, employed through The Covenant Services, Inc., allegedly stopped to buy food for her family and shop at a tobacco store.
She then returned to her home and left the child in the parked car for over five hours, where he passed from the intolerably hot temperatures.
The boy was abandoned in the hot car, believed to exceed 150 degrees (65.5 °C), following a supervised visit with his biological father
Image credits: FOX54 News Huntsville / YouTube
Image credits: FOX54 News Huntsville / YouTube
French said police received a 911 call at around 6:40 p.m. reporting that a child had been found unresponsive in a vehicle parked outside a private residence.
The boy was found fastened in his car seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The vehicle was in the driveway of the residence, and the windows were rolled up.
Attorney Courtney French described the incident as a “heartbreaking and preventable tragedy”
Image credits: CBS 42 / YouTube
Image credits: CBS 42 / YouTube
In a statement issued by French’s office, the 3-year-old’s family said, “This is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive.”
The child’s father said he was going to remember his son and was so proud of his intelligence, as per WVTM13. The boy, originally from Bessemer, Alabama, knew his colors and loved to count.
The tragedy is under investigation by Birmingham police.
After the visit, a DHR worker stopped to buy food for her family and shop at a tobacco store
Image credits: CBS 42 / YouTube
Starks is at least the 16th child to lose their life in a hot car in the United States this year, according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety.
From 1990-2024, there were at least 1,126 child fatality cases resulting from infants being left in hot cars in the United States. At least another 7,500 children survived with varying degrees of injury, the group shared.
55% of those who lose their lives were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver.
Image credits: WBRC 6 News / Facebook
Earlier this month, a 5-year-old boy passed away in a hot car outside a daycare in San Antonio, Texas. The young boy’s mother, 22, went to work and forgot to take him out of the car to drop him off at the facility.
Once she returned to her vehicle, she found that her son “was still in his car seat and unresponsive,” police said.
On July 1, a 9-year-old girl lost her life after she was left inside a vehicle after her mother went to work at 6 a.m. The victim’s mother was detained at the scene.
On June 28, a 3-month-old boy was found deceased in a locked car, after his father, Ricardo Adrian Mata, forgot he was in the backseat of the car. The Texas man was reportedly drinking at the time of the incident and is now facing charges.
People accused the worker of purposefully leaving the 3-year-old inside the car
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