A heartbreaking tragedy out of Alabama has sparked outrage and grief after a 3-year-old boy in foster care died when a state-contracted caregiver allegedly left him in a hot car for hours.
Little Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr. had been in temporary foster care and was being transported to a visit with his biological father when the unthinkable happened, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR).
Instead of making sure the toddler was safely dropped off, the contracted caregiver allegedly forgot him in the back seat — during an afternoon when outside temperatures soared well into the triple digits, according to local reports.
Authorities believe Ke’Torrius was trapped inside the vehicle for nearly five hours before anyone realized what had happened. By then, it was too late.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive,” Ke’Torrius’ devastated parents said in a statement shared through their attorney, Courtney French.
French also told PEOPLE that the DHR contractor had taken Ke’Torrius to a supervised visit with his dad that morning, and then was supposed to bring him to daycare. Instead, she reportedly ran personal errands — including shopping for her family — and then returned to her own home, allegedly leaving Ke’Torrius behind in the car.
Birmingham Police Sergeant Laquitta Wade told NBC News that, for now, the death is being investigated as an accident. “We believe it was accidental,” she said, adding that the caregiver has been cooperating with investigators. Prosecutors will decide whether criminal charges are filed.
The employee has since been fired by the contracted agency working with DHR, according to officials.
French was blunt in his assessment: “Had he been with his parents, nothing like this would have ever occurred.”
As this tragic story unfolds, it raises serious questions about oversight, safety, and accountability within the foster care and child welfare system. Ke’Torrius’ family is now left searching for answers — and justice.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: thedailycrime1
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://thedailycrime.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
