3-year-old boy dies after woman working for Alabama state agency left him in car that may have reached 140 degrees: Attorney

An emotional vigil took place Friday evening in Bessemer, Alabama, for Ke'torrius "KJ" Starkes Jr. — a 3-year-old boy who died after being left in a hot car on July 22, WZDX-TV reported.

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"He was our bright little child," a family spokesperson said, according to the station, which added that green, blue, and white balloons were released skyward as mourners shared memories of KJ, and his distraught parents leaned on faith and loved ones.

'He should be here today.'

On the same day of the vigil, Birmingham Police arrested 54-year-old Kela Stanford.

The Jefferson County District Attorney said Stanford was hit with a felony charge of being a person for hire responsible for a child under the age of 7 and leaving the child unattended in a motor vehicle in a manner that creates an unreasonable risk of injury or harm. The DA said a conviction could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

“This is a terrible tragedy that was completely avoidable and unnecessary," DA Danny Carr added. "Our condolences go out to [KJ's] family."

Stanford was working as a contractor for the Alabama agency in charge of child welfare, the Washington Post reported.

Alabama’s Department of Human Resources assigned Stanford to take KJ on a weekly basis from his day care to supervised visits with his father, family attorney G. Courtney French said at a Friday news conference, according to the Post.

WZDX added that KJ was living with a foster family while his parents worked to regain custody through the court system.

More from the paper:

On July 22, KJ’s visit with his father ended around 11:30 a.m. local time, according to French. Instead of taking the child back to day care, Stanford took a detour and ran errands, including buying groceries and visiting a tobacco shop, and arrived at her residence at 12:30 p.m., French alleged at the news conference.

She then allegedly left the boy unattended in the vehicle for five hours with the windows up, French said. A preliminary investigation conducted by law enforcement and the fire department said the heat index inside the car could have reached upward of 140 degrees, French added.

The day care later called Stanford to ask about the child’s whereabouts, French said. Stanford allegedly told police that she had forgotten he was inside her vehicle, French said.

The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced KJ dead at 6:03 p.m., the Post noted.

“She had one job to do,” French said of Stanford, according to the paper, “and that was to pick KJ up from the day care and to take him back. ... DHR and these workers are responsible for this child’s death. He should be here today. This should never happen to another child.”

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Brittney Johnson, KJ's maternal aunt, said at the news conference that her nephew was an “active” child, and she found it hard to fathom that he was quiet or asleep while under Stanford’s supervision, the Post reported.

“KJ was a child full of life,” Johnson said, according to the paper. “It’s heartbreaking for the mom and the dad because they’re not going to see him again.”

The Post said jail records indicated that Stanford was released from Jefferson County Jail the same day she was arrested on a $30,000 bond. The paper added that it wasn't immediately clear Saturday if Stanford had an attorney, and she couldn't be reached for comment.

“A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred,” a DHR spokesperson said in a statement to WIAT-TV. “The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.”

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