Three-year-old Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes Jr. died on June 22 after being left in a hot car for five hours in Birmingham, Alabama. The temperature that day reached 96°F, and the car’s interior likely exceeded 150°F. KJ was discovered unconscious at 5:30 PM and pronounced dead shortly after.
KJ had been placed in the custody of Alabama’s Department of Human Resources (DHR) due to concerns about his home environment. A contracted DHR worker from Covenant Services Inc. picked him up for a supervised visit with his father but allegedly ran personal errands—including stops for food and at a smoke shop—before leaving him in the car outside their residence.
Brittney Debruce, KJ’s foster parent and aunt, reported him missing after attempting to pick him up. She and police later found him in the vehicle. The DHR-contracted employee has since been fired, and while cooperating with investigators, no charges have been filed yet.
KJ’s family attorney called the incident “an avoidable tragedy” and a failure of the system meant to protect him. Following an autopsy, KJ’s body was returned to his family, and his funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 2.
