A three-year-old boy died after a social services worker left him inside a hot car for five hours, police say.
KeTorrius Starkes Jr., known as KJ, was found unresponsive in the vehicle parked outside the worker’s home in Alabama on Tuesday, July 22. He had reportedly been left in the car between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Officials said the boy remained strapped into his car seat, in a vehicle that was turned off with the windows rolled up. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after being discovered.
KJ was under the care of a Department of Human Resources (DHR) contract worker, who was responsible for returning him to daycare after a supervised visit with his father, KeTorrius Starkes Sr. Instead, the worker made stops at a grocery store and tobacco shop before heading back home, according to a lawyer representing Starkes Sr.
Attorney Courtney French described the incident as “a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.”
Following the boy’s death, the DHR confirmed the worker has been terminated. “The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further on the child’s identity or specific circumstances,” the agency said in a statement.
It remains unclear why KJ was living with a temporary foster family.
Family members have called for the worker to face further consequences. His aunt, Brittney Johnson, said neglect was the cause of his death. “I feel personally that he was neglected, and that’s the true cause of his death,” she told Local 12.
The Birmingham Police Department confirmed to DailyMail on Friday, July 25, that the worker has been questioned and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
