CNF

7/28/25

Alabama authorities are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was left in a hot car by a contractor for the state human resources department on July 22, police said.

Ketorrius Starks had been “accidentally left inside of a vehicle” while in the care of a third-party worker contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the state’s child protective services agency, the Birmingham Police Department told USA TODAY on July 27. Officers received a report of an unresponsive child shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time on July 22.

Authorities discovered Ketorrius inside of a vehicle parked outside of a residence in a Birmingham neighborhood, according to police. The Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced the child dead at the scene.

The child had been left alone in the vehicle between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., according to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office. He was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said.

The child was initially identified by the medical examiner’s office as Katerrius Sparks, of Bessemer, Alabama, police said. The chief deputy coroner, Bill Yates, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the medical examiner’s office had received multiple variations of the child’s name from his family.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed to local media outlets that the child “was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred,” adding that the worker had been terminated, according to WVTM 13 and AL.com. The state human resources department did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on July 27.