A heartbreaking tragedy has rocked Alabama after a 3-year-old boy, Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr., died from heat exposure when he was reportedly left alone in a parked car for several hours by a state-contracted worker.
The Birmingham Police Department confirmed the arrest of 36-year-old Kela Stanford on Friday. Stanford, who was hired through a third-party agency working with the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), now faces a felony charge for allegedly leaving a child unattended in a vehicle… a fatal decision that cost a young boy his life.
Authorities say Stanford was responsible for transporting K.J. from daycare to a supervised visit with his father on July 22 as part of a court-ordered custody process. That visit ended at approximately 11:30 a.m., but instead of returning him to daycare, police allege Stanford made several personal stops.
According to the family’s attorney, Courtney French, Stanford returned home around 12:30 p.m. and left the toddler strapped into his car seat with the windows rolled up and the engine turned off… outside in the searing heat of an Alabama summer. For more than five hours, K.J. remained in the vehicle as temperatures soared past 96°F, with the heat index pushing as high as 105°F.
It wasn’t until daycare staff contacted Stanford about K.J.’s whereabouts that she reportedly realized he was still in the car. Emergency responders were called immediately, but it was too late… K.J. was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m.
The Department of Human Resources has stated that Stanford was no longer employed by the contracting agency following the incident. However, K.J.’s family is demanding accountability and has criticized DHR for what they call a preventable and “brutal” failure in care.
Stanford was booked into Jefferson County Jail and released on a $30,000 bond. At this time, it remains unclear whether she has obtained legal representation.
