‘Sidetracked’ DHR Worker Arrested After She Forgets Tot Boy in Hot Car for 5 Hours

On Friday, Alabama police arrested a woman who allegedly left a 3-year-old boy to die in her vehicle earlier this month.

Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr. reportedly died on July 22 after being left in a parked car for five hours in Birmingham. AL.com reported that Starkes was in the care of Kela Stanford, 54, a transport worker for The Covenant Services who is under contract with the Department of Human Resources.

Starkes was reportedly left in the car after he was picked up from daycare and had a supervised visit with his father at a DHR building in Bessemer. I

nstead of taking Starkes back to daycare, Stanford allegedly picked up food for her family and stopped to get tobacco. Stanford then went home — leaving the toddler in the vehicle.

@savagegrace76 What Happened? This family will grieve forever. And innocent child lost his life after DHR WORKER forgets him in a hot car in Alabama. #griefandloss #griefjourney #grieftok #grieftok #grief #corruption #childloss #childlossgrief #childlossawareness #justice ♬ original sound – §åVåGê🅶🆁🅲🅴

Starkes was reportedly discovered in the car after his foster mother since birth called looking for him.

In a recorded call shared by Starkes father, Stanford allegedly claimed she got “sidetracked” and left his son in the car.

“I got called and said I didn’t have a case, I said in my head, ‘Well I’m done for the day I can go home,’” she says. “Instead of going to the daycare, I came home. And I forgot he was back there. I am so sorry.”

Stanford, who was fired from her job before her arrest, is charged with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle. She was released from custody after posting $30,000 bail.

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[Feature Photo: Birmingham Police; Facebook]

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Author: Jacquelyn Gray

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