Latest news with #Bessemer
Yahoo
a day 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
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Alabama child dies after being left in hot car while in state custody
An investigation has been triggered after a three-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car by a contractor for the state human resources department in Alabama. Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr, who was in foster care, had been picked up in the late morning on Tuesday by the worker after a supervised visit with his father, the New York Times reported. He was supposed to be transported to a day care program by a worker for the department, which oversees child protection other social services. Instead the boy was left alone strapped in a vehicle with tinted windows on a hot day in Bessemer, a suburb of Birmingham. The Birmingham police department said officers went to a private home in Bessemer to respond to a report of an unresponsive child at around 5.30pm and found that the boy was 'accidentally left inside of a vehicle while in the care of a third-party contracted worker through the Department of Human Resources'. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, the police said. The chief deputy coroner of Jefferson county, Bill Yates, told the Times that 'the child was found in a car that was ignition off, doors closed, windows up and it was hot in the car' and so far there was 'no other competing cause of death'. 'A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred,' a spokesperson for Alabama DHR said in a statement. 'The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.' Police are now investigating the incident to examine for any possible criminal charges in the case. 'We need answers, and we may need to examine state law to make sure this never happens again,' said state senator Merika Coleman, a Democrat.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Boy dies after being ‘left in hot car by child services driver shopping for tobacco'
A three-year-old foster child has died in Alabama after a driver employed by local children's services left him alone in a hot car for around five hours. The boy has been named by Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Kettorius 'KJ' Starks Jnr of Bessemer. He was found in the vehicle parked on a driveway with its windows rolled up, on Tuesday, July 22, reports. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates stated the boy is believed to have been left alone in the car from 12.30pm until around 5.30pm when he was discovered. Tragically, he was pronounced dead at 6.03pm. Local temperatures reached around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35C) on Tuesday afternoon, but the National Weather Service states it would have felt as high as 103 degrees (39.4C) by 1pm, taking into account the high humidity. The boy's aunt Brittney Debruce said he was living in a foster home and was under the care of Alabama's Department of Human Resources at the time of his death. Ms Debruce stated that a transport driver working as a contractor for the children's services department has picked the boy up from daycare and took him for a planned visit with his father in Bessner. After the visit, the driver is said to have alleged to purchase groceries and tobacco before parking the vehicle on the driveway of his home. The alarm was raised when Kettorius' foster carer went to pick him up from the daycare facility and found he wasn't there. Ms Debruce stated that she and Birmingham Police later found the child inside the car. The boy's mother was informed of the tragedy and the family are said to have been left devastated. "We don't know what's going on," Debruce added. Kettorius's parents issued a statement and described the situation as their "worst nightmare," adding: "Our baby should be alive." Birmingham police are investigating the child's death. In a statement, Alabama's Department of Human Resources said: "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 driver that picked up Kettorius worked for a company called The Covenant Services, that was contracted to carry out transport services. The Debruce family attorney Courtney French said: "This is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy."
Yahoo
3 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
3 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.
