Latest news with #DHR
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
3-Year-Old Dies in Hot Car After DHR Custody Failure
A 3-year-old boy, Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr., known as KJ, died Tuesday after being left in a hot car for approximately five hours while in the custody of Alabama's Department of Human Resources (DHR), authorities said. The incident has sparked outrage and an ongoing police investigation, with the boy's family demanding accountability. KJ, from Bessemer, was in foster care due to alleged drug use in his home when a contractor for DHR, employed by Covenant Services Inc., failed to deliver him to day care after a supervised visit with his father. The family's attorney, G. Courtney French, said the worker picked up KJ around 11:30 a.m. but instead ran personal errands, including buying food and visiting a tobacco shop, before parking at her home. 'This is a tragedy and a nightmare for any parent,' French said, per The New York Times. The child remained strapped in the car from about 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., when the day care center's call prompted the worker to find him unresponsive. Birmingham police were dispatched to a Pine Tree Drive residence shortly after 5:30 p.m., and KJ was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m. by Birmingham Fire and Rescue. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates noted the car was off, windows up, and hot, with no other apparent cause of death, though an official ruling awaits. Temperatures in the area reached 96 degrees, feeling as high as 103 degrees with humidity, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jessica Laws. The worker, who has not been named, removed KJ to an air-conditioned residence but cooperated with police during questioning. DHR confirmed the contractor terminated the employee but offered no further details due to confidentiality. French described the lapse as systemic failure. 'The safety net that should have been in place to protect KJ and others like him is what caused his death,' he said, per People magazine. 'So the very system that is in place for his protection was the system that led to his death — and that's what's so tragic about this.' The family, considering legal action, expressed their grief in a statement: 'This is a parent's worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive.' State lawmakers, including Senators Merika Coleman and Representative Ontario Tillman, have called for answers, with Coleman vowing, per The Times, 'We need answers, and we may need to examine state law to make sure this never happens again.' Tillman echoed, 'How and why did this happen?' The child's autopsy has been completed, and his body has been released to his parents, per the county coroner's office, People magazine reported. KJ's funeral is set for August 2. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Boy, 3, dies after being left in a hot car for 5 hours by child services on his way back to foster care
A 3-year-old boy who was in the care of a contractor for Alabama's human resources department died on Tuesday after a transport driver left him alone in a hot car for around five hours. The child was identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Ketorrius "KJ" Starks Jr, of Bessemer, according to The vehicle was left in the driveway of a home with the windows rolled up. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the boy had been left in the car from 12.30 p.m. until around 5.30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 6.03 p.m. Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 90s on Tuesday afternoon in the area, but with humidity factored in, it would have felt as high as 103 degrees at 1 p.m. and 100 degrees by 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. According to the boy's aunt, Brittney Debruce, the boy was in the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources and was living at a foster home. When the foster parent went to pick the boy up from daycare, he was not there. According to Debruce, a transport driver — who was as a contractor for the DHR driving children to visitations — picked the boy up and took him to a DHR office in Bessmer for a scheduled visit with his father. After the visit, Ketorrius was never brought back to the day care. Debruce and the Birmingham police eventually found the child inside the car. The boy's mother was then notified that her son had died, leaving the family distraught. "We don't know what's going on," Debruce told The DHR provided a statement to about the incident. 'A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances," the agency said. Birmingham police are investigating the child's death. The company that picked up Ketorrius is called The Covenant Services. According to the Debruce family attorney, Courtney French, after the driver took Ketorrius from his visit with his father, the worker stopped to grocery shop and to buy tobacco. The worker then returned home and left the boy in the car. The Independent has requested comment from The Covenant Services. 'This is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.' French told the outlet. She estimated that with the heat index the day of the incident hitting 108 degrees Farhenheit, the temperature inside the car was likely around 150 degrees. Ketorrius's parents issued a statement, calling the situation their "worst nightmare." "Our baby should be alive," the parents said.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Boy, 3, dies after being left in a hot car for 5 hours by child services on his way back to foster care
A 3-year-old boy who was in the care of a contractor for Alabama 's human resources department died on Tuesday after a transport driver left him alone in a hot car for around five hours. The child was identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Ketorrius "KJ" Starks Jr, of Bessemer, according to The vehicle was left in the driveway of a home with the windows rolled up. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the boy had been left in the car from 12.30 p.m. until around 5.30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 6.03 p.m. Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 90s on Tuesday afternoon in the area, but with humidity factored in, it would have felt as high as 103 degrees at 1 p.m. and 100 degrees by 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. According to the boy's aunt, Brittney Debruce, the boy was in the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources and was living at a foster home. When the foster parent went to pick the boy up from daycare, he was not there. According to Debruce, a transport driver — who was as a contractor for the DHR driving children to visitations — picked the boy up and took him to a DHR office in Bessmer for a scheduled visit with his father. After the visit, Ketorrius was never brought back to the day care. Debruce and the Birmingham police eventually found the child inside the car. The boy's mother was then notified that her son had died, leaving the family distraught. "We don't know what's going on," Debruce told The DHR provided a statement to about the incident. 'A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances," the agency said. Birmingham police are investigating the child's death. The company that picked up Ketorrius is called The Covenant Services. According to the Debruce family attorney, Courtney French, after the driver took Ketorrius from his visit with his father, the worker stopped to grocery shop and to buy tobacco. The worker then returned home and left the boy in the car. The Independent has requested comment from The Covenant Services. 'This is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.' French told the outlet. She estimated that with the heat index the day of the incident hitting 108 degrees Farhenheit, the temperature inside the car was likely around 150 degrees. Ketorrius's parents issued a statement, calling the situation their "worst nightmare." "Our baby should be alive," the parents said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
3-Year-Old In State Family Service Custody Died Inside Hot Car Parked For Hours: Lawyer
A 3-year-old Alabama boy who died while in the care of the state's Department of Human Resources was found inside a hot parked car on Tuesday after he was picked up from his father's scheduled visit. Ke'Torrius Starks Jr. was living in temporary foster care at the time of his death and was picked up from day care by a third-party DHR contract provider for a planned visitation with his father, Ke'Torrius Starks Sr., the child's aunt Brittney Debruce told However, the 3-year-old never returned back to the day care once the visitation was over. Courtney French, who is representing the child's family, told ABC affiliate WBMA-LD the child's visitation with his biological father ended at around 11:30 a.m. that morning and was picked up by a third-party contract worker. However, Ke'Torrius Starks Sr. did not hear about his son's well-being until 6:40 p.m., French told the outlet. He said police informed Starks that the child was found unresponsive inside a vehicle that was parked for over five hours. 'Based upon a preliminary investigation, with the current extreme outside temperatures and the heat index of 108 degrees, the interior temperature of the car where KJ was trapped likely exceeded 150 degrees,' French said, calling the incident 'a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.' French told the outlet the worker had stopped to pick up food for her family after picking up Ke'Torrius from the visitation, then shopped at a tobacco store before returning back to her home, leaving the boy outside, fastened in his car seat. Ke'Torrius was pronounced dead once Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service arrived, according to a press release shared with HuffPost. The contract worker was taken in for questioning and authorities claimed she had 'accidentally' left the boy inside the car. DHR told HuffPost in an email 'the provider has terminated their employee' and due to confidentiality, they cannot comment further regarding the exact circumstances surrounding Ke'Torrius' death. In a statement to WBMA-LD, Ke'Torrius' family called the boy's death 'a parent's worst nightmare,' adding, 'our baby should be alive.' Related... Nine Migrants Have Died In ICE Custody Since Trump Took Office, ICE Head Says Temperature In New York City Reaches 100 Degrees As East Coast Swelters Under Extreme Heat Wave Hundreds Of Temperature Records Could Be Broken During This Week's Dangerous Heat Wave
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Economic Times
Child protective services worker leaves 3-year-old boy in car on hot day for 5 hours. What happened next will shock you
TIL Creatives Ke'Torrius Starks Jr., 3, died after being left in a car for five hours in extreme heat in Birmingham, Alabama. A 3-year-old child in Alabama has died after being left in a car by a worker contracted by the state's Department of Human Resources (DHR). The incident occurred on a day with a heat index of 108 degrees. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Ke'Torrius Starks Starks Jr., a child in temporary foster care, had been scheduled to meet his biological father in a supervised visit on Tuesday. According to authorities, his foster family dropped him off at daycare at 9 a.m. for pickup by a DHR worker. The worker was a contract employee with a third-party provider. The visit with his father concluded at 11:30 a.m. Instead of returning the child to daycare as planned, the worker reportedly made personal stops, including picking up food for her family and entering a tobacco store. Also Read: When Will Universe Die? New dark energy data makes big bombshell revelations. Here's complete truth The worker then returned to her residence with the child still in the vehicle. Reports state that the boy was left inside the car with the windows rolled up from around 12:30 p.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m. By that time, temperatures outside had reached 108 degrees. Experts estimate the temperature inside the car may have exceeded 150 degrees. At around 6 p.m., the child was pronounced dead at the scene. The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed the incident and said the worker was employed by a contract provider. The provider has since terminated the worker's employment. Due to confidentiality rules, the agency has not released the identity of the worker or details about how long Ke'Torrius had been in foster stated, 'A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.'Law enforcement is investigating the incident, and no charges have been filed yet. The name of the worker has not been made public. Also Read: How Social Security works? Here's how many Americans understand the basics as per AARP Survey The child's parents issued a statement calling the death 'a parent's worst nightmare' and said, 'Our baby should be alive.' The family is being represented by attorney Courtney French, who described the situation as 'a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.'French added that the heat inside the car was likely over 150 degrees due to the extreme heat index. He emphasized that the situation should never have to state data, this is the first reported hot-car death in Alabama in 2025. Child safety advocates have repeatedly warned about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles during warm are continuing the investigation, and the family is awaiting further answers regarding the circumstances that led to the child's death. Who was responsible for the child at the time of his death? A contracted child protective services worker from a third-party provider was responsible when the child was left in the hot car. Has the worker been charged or identified? The worker has been fired, but authorities have not released their identity or confirmed whether they will face charges.
