A three-year-old boy died after a social services worker left him in a hot car for five hours, according to police.
KeTorrius Starkes Jr. was found unresponsive inside the car outside the worker’s house in Alabama on Tuesday, after he had reportedly been left there between 12.30pm and 5.30pm.
The boy was still in his fastened car seat in the vehicle, which was off and had the windows rolled up, officials said. He was declared dead about 30 minutes after he was found.
The temperature inside the car likely exceeded 150 degrees, according to his family.
KeTorrius, nicknamed KJ, was in the care of a Department of Human Resources contract worker who was supposed to take him back to day care after a supervised visit with his father, KeTorrius Starkes Sr.
Instead of returning the child to day care, the worker, who has not been identified, stopped at a grocery store and tobacco shop before returning to their house, according to a lawyer hired by Starkes Sr.
‘A heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,’ attorney Courtney French told ABC News.
‘Based upon a preliminary investigation, with the current extreme outside temperatures and the heat index of 108 degrees, the interior temperature of the car where KJ was trapped likely exceeded 150 degrees.’
The employee was terminated after the child’s death, the Alabama Department of Human Resources said.
‘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 in a statement.
It’s not clear why the boy had been living with a temporary foster family.
KJ’s family called for the employee to be face further consequences.
His aunt Brittney Johnson said his death was caused by ‘neglect.’
‘I feel personally that he was neglected and that’s the true cause of his death,’ she told Local 12.
The Birmingham Police Department told DailyMail.com on Friday the worker was questioned and is cooperating with the ongoing probe.
Starkes Sr spoke to the press about his son and said: ‘[He] knew how to count, knew his colors three years old, knew all the animals. I’m talking about he was very intelligent. He was just joyful.’
Meanwhile, several Alabama politicians issued statements in support of the boy’s family.
‘As a mother and as the Senator for the district where this tragedy happened, I am devastated by the death of little KeTorrius Starks Jr.,’ state senator Merika Coleman said, as reported by CBS42.
‘We need answers, and we may need to examine state law to make sure this never happens again. My prayers are with his family.’