Overview

• On July 22 in Birmingham, Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr. was accidentally left in a third-party state contractor’s vehicle for nearly five hours in 96°F heat before responders pronounced him dead.
• The contractor, employed by Covenant Services through the Alabama Department of Human Resources, ran personal errands after a supervised visit instead of returning the child to daycare.
• The Birmingham Police Department has questioned the cooperative contractor and opened a death investigation following confirmation by the Jefferson County coroner that the boy was left alone from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The Alabama Department of Human Resources terminated the transport worker after the incident and acknowledged systemic gaps in oversight of third-party foster-care services.
• Family attorneys and child safety advocates are pressing for tighter foster-care transport protocols and improved oversight of third-party contractors.