Overview

• Kela Stanford was arrested on August 1 on felony charges for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle and was released on $30,000 bond pending trial
• The three-year-old foster child, Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes Jr., remained in Stanford’s parked car for about five hours before being found unresponsive on July 22
• Preliminary findings suggest interior temperatures in the vehicle reached as high as 140°F, underscoring the lethal risks of extreme heat
• The Alabama Department of Human Resources has fired its third-party transport contractor and is cooperating with investigations into procedural failures
• The case has renewed calls from legislators and advocates for stricter foster care transport protocols under measures such as the Amiyah White Act