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Woman Arrested in Connection with Death of Alabama Boy Left in Hot Car While in State's Care

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, AUG 1 – A Department of Human Resources contract worker admitted forgetting the child in the vehicle for five hours, leading to the toddler's death, officials said.

  • Ke’Torrius ‘KJ’ Starkes Jr., a 3-year-old boy in Alabama Department of Human Resources custody, died after being left in a hot car for over five hours on July 22 in Birmingham.
  • The boy was left strapped inside a vehicle at the home of Kela Stanford, a 54-year-old contractor with Covenant Services, who admitted forgetting him in the backseat from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
  • The vehicle remained parked with windows up and engine off while Stanford made personal errands instead of returning KJ to daycare after his supervised visit with his father.
  • Stanford was taken into custody and charged under the Amiyah White Act for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, an offense classified as a class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and she was subsequently released after posting a $30,000 bond.
  • KJ’s family and foster relatives mourn the loss and question how such a tragedy occurred while the provider terminated Stanford and DHR released a statement expressing condolences but limited details due to confidentiality.
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Alabama state contractor arrested after the hot-car death of a toddler she was caring for, police say

A woman has been arrested in Alabama in connection with the death of 3-year-old Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr., who died last week after a state-contracted worker left him unattended in a car for several hours in the sweltering summer heat.

·Atlanta, United States
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WDHN broke the news in on Friday, August 1, 2025.
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