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A tragic incident occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, where three-year-old Ke’Torrius "K.J." Starkes Jr. died after being left in a hot car by a contracted worker for the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). The child was left unattended in the vehicle for approximately five hours on Tuesday (July 22), as reported by the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Birmingham Police Department.
K.J. was picked up from daycare at 9 a.m. for a supervised visit with his father, a part of a court-ordered process for his parents to regain custody. The visit ended around 11:30 a.m., but instead of returning K.J. to daycare, the worker made personal errands, leaving him strapped in the car with the windows up from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Temperatures in the area ranged from 93 to 96 degrees, with a heat index reaching up to 105 degrees.
The worker realized K.J. was still in the car only after being contacted by the daycare. Emergency services were called, but K.J. was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m. The DHR confirmed that the incident occurred while the child was in their custody and that the contract provider has since terminated the employee involved.
K.J.'s family is devastated, describing him as a "joyful" and "brilliant" child. A memorial and balloon release are planned to honor his memory. This is the first hot car death in Alabama this year and the sixteenth nationwide in 2025. The Birmingham Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.