With reporting by AL.com
A 3-year-old child in Alabama foster care has died after being left inside a parked vehicle for roughly five hours while under the supervision of a Department of Human Resources (DHR) transport contractor. The incident has sparked calls for review from state lawmakers and renewed scrutiny over how Alabama protects children in its custody.
The Jefferson County Coroner identified the child as Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes Jr. of Bessemer. According to authorities, the child was left in a car in the 1500 block of Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham from approximately 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. on July 22. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6 p.m.
According to his aunt, Brittney Debruce, he was in DHR custody and living in a foster home. On the day of his death, a contracted transport driver picked him up from daycare to attend a supervised visit with his father. After the visit, he was never returned to daycare. Hours later, he was found lifeless in the backseat of the vehicle, which had been parked in a private driveway with the windows rolled up and the engine off.
The driver has since been terminated. Birmingham police are investigating the death but no charges have been announced. DHR has not issued a full public explanation, citing confidentiality protections.
DHR Responds But Families Demand More
DHR released a brief statement confirming that a contractor was transporting the child when the incident occurred.
The provider has terminated their employee,
DHR said. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.
But to many, that response falls far short. DHR continues to hide behind confidentiality clauses while the public watches children die. The families impacted by these tragedies are left without real answers or justice. When a child dies in state care, silence is not accountability.
Lawmakers Speak Out
Several Alabama lawmakers are now calling for a state-level review of the circumstances surrounding KJ’s death and the broader policies governing third-party transportation under DHR oversight.
While no formal investigation has yet been launched at the legislative level, lawmakers have expressed support for a deeper examination of DHR’s practices and the role of third-party contractors.
A System Under Scrutiny
This tragedy adds to a growing number of high-profile incidents involving children in Alabama’s foster system. With intense heat reaching deadly levels in parked cars, experts note that a young child’s body can overheat within minutes. Internal temperatures inside a closed vehicle can quickly rise to between 130 and 150 degrees.
Public frustration continues to grow as families question how a child in state custody could be lost for hours without anyone noticing. Why were there no checks or alerts when he failed to return to daycare? Who was held accountable during those critical hours?
As lawmakers speak cautiously and DHR remains shielded behind legal clauses, many are left wondering whether anything will change before another child is failed by the very system meant to protect them.
Source: Based on original reporting by AL.com
