Alabama Toddler Dies in Hot Car While in State Custody; Family Demands Answers

A heartbreaking tragedy has rocked Birmingham and raised serious questions about the safety of children under state care after 3-year-old Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr. died from heat exposure while in the custody of a child welfare transport worker.

K.J., described by loved ones as a bright and joyful child who “could light up any room,” died after being left alone for more than five hours inside a vehicle on a hot summer afternoon. He was under the supervision of a worker contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), the state agency responsible for child protective services.

A Preventable Death

According to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office, K.J. was left inside a parked car outside the worker’s home on Tuesday afternoon during peak temperatures, ranging from 93 to 96 degrees. With high humidity, the heat index soared as high as 105 degrees—turning the car into a deadly trap.

The family’s attorney, Courtney French, said the incident occurred after K.J. had been picked up from daycare at 9 a.m. for a scheduled supervised visit with his father. That visit concluded around 11:30 a.m., but instead of taking the child back to daycare, the worker reportedly ran personal errands before returning home around 12:30 p.m.—leaving K.J. in the back seat of the car, buckled in, with the windows rolled up and the engine turned off.