Alabama Toddler Dies in Hot Car While in State Custody: Outrage and Calls for Justice
Three-year-old Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr. died after being left in a hot car while in the custody of a contracted worker for the Alabama Department of Human Resources. The worker, who had picked K.J. up for a supervised visit with his father, allegedly made personal errands with the child before returning home and leaving him in the car for over five hours. The child was found unresponsive in the vehicle, with temperatures reaching over 90 degrees and heat indexes over 100 degrees. The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed the incident occurred during the child’s custody and that the contract provider terminated the worker, with the Birmingham Police Department investigating the death.
John Q. Hosedrinker