3-year-old boy dies in hot car while in custody of Alabama DHR
A 3-year-old boy died in a hot car in Birmingham Tuesday night while in the care of a Department of Human Resources worker.
The child's name is Ketorrius Starkes Jr., according to his father. Earlier, the coroner released a different name. We are still working to get confirmation of the correct spelling.
Starkes, of Bessemer, was found in a hot car outside a home on Pine Tree Drive, according to the coroner. The child had been left alone in the car between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m.
Tuesday was a First Warning Impact Day, with the heat index in the triple digits.
Birmingham police said the worker was a contracted worker for DHR. Family told WVTM 13 that this was a foster care situation.
"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."