At some point in his short existence, Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr. was removed from his home and taken by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), the state’s child protective services agency. The presumption was that the state would provide a better environment than the situation he was in. That is certainly debatable.
During the week, KJ would be taken by his foster parents to a daycare center authorized by the State of Alabama and then picked up again by the end of the business day. On July 22, 2025, KJ was picked up by a state contractor, Covenant Services, Inc., for a scheduled visit with his father at the DHR office in Bessemer, Alabama. When the foster parent returned to bring KJ home from daycare, he was nowhere to be found.
I’m going to deviate from the facts for a moment to ask questions not answered by the articles I’ve seen on this story. The name of the daycare facility was not provided. Were they a state-licensed contractor, and what is their staffing? When KJ was checked out to the transport driver, when was he expected to return, and why had he not been noticed as missing before the foster parent returned?
It turned out that the driver, an unnamed female, stopped to do some grocery shopping and ran several personal errands before returning home and parking the car outside her house. By the time she was contacted, about 5:30 pm, KJ had been left buckled in the back seat for over five hours. Someone called 911, but it was too late. KJ was pronounced dead at 6:03 pm.
It was humid with temperatures ranging from 93 to 96 degrees during the 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. window when K.J. was allegedly left alone inside the car. Heat index values, which factor in temperature and humidity to determine what it feels like in the shade, ranged from 101°F to 105°F.
Based on the parties named and the information either released or not released, it appears that Alabama DHR is blaming the contractor and not questioning any of their procedures. The driver has been fired, and Birmingham police are investigating KJ’s death. DHR released the following statement, refusing to comment further due to “confidentiality.” KJ’s name was released later after notifications to the family.
“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.”
Alabama and DHR were supposed to give KJ a better chance to lead a whole and worthwhile life. They failed.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.