Birmingham, Ala. (WDNews) — A tragic incident in Birmingham has claimed the life of a 3-year-old boy who was left in a hot vehicle for five hours on Tuesday, July 22.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the child as Keterrious Starks Jr. of Bessemer. Officials say he was in the care of a third-party worker contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) when he was left unattended in a vehicle parked in the driveway of a private residence on Pine Tree Drive.
Authorities say the vehicle was not running, and the windows were rolled up. Keterrious was left inside from approximately 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., when emergency crews responded. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service at 6:03 p.m.
DHR confirmed the child was in state custody and released a statement saying, “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.”
The contracted worker involved has cooperated with investigators and was taken to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning.
The Birmingham Police Department is actively investigating the case.
