A contracted employee of the state’s Department of Human Resources left a three-year-old kid in a hot automobile for hours before he died.
On Tuesday, June 22, Bessemer resident Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes Jr. was discovered unconscious inside a car parked outside a residence on Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham.
KJ was in the automobile from around 12:3 PM to 5:30 PM, Birmingham police said, according to PEOPLE.
According to lawyer Courtney French, he was declared dead at 6:03 PM after local temperatures hit 96 degrees with a heat index that may have caused the car’s inside to reach 150 degrees.
French, who works for the boy’s family, claimed that because of claims of drug usage in the home, the youngster was temporarily placed in DHR’s custody.
That morning, KJ was taken from nursery to go to a DHR office in Bessemer for a monitored visit with his father. The employee, who works for Covenant Services Inc., is accused of running personal errands after the visit while the child was still buckled up in his car seat.
French informed the newspaper that stops included going to a smoke shop and getting meals. Then the worker left KJ in the car and went home.
“This is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” French said. “The safety net that should have been in place to protect KJ and others like him is what caused his death. So the very system that is in place for his protection was the system that led to his death – and that’s what’s so tragic about this.”
Brittney Debruce, KJ’s aunt, informed AL.com that KJ was absent when the foster parent went to pick him up from nursery. The youngster was later found inside the car by her and the Birmingham police.
In a brief statement, DHR confirmed that at the time of the event, the youngster was being carried by a contract provider.
“The provider has terminated their employee,” the agency noted, adding, “Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.”
The driver, who has not been named publicly, has been helpful, according to Birmingham police, and was taken to police headquarters to be questioned. The inquiry is still underway, but no charges have been brought yet.
In a statement shared through French, KJ’s parents said, “This is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive,” cited by The Independent.
The child’s body has been released to his family following the completion of an autopsy, according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
His cause of death has not yet been officially determined. The funeral service for KJ is set for Saturday, August 2.
Right now, our thoughts are with KJ’s family
