Change.org Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr. was killed after being left inside a car for five hours amid triple digit temperatures He was under the custody of the Department of Human Resources in Birmingham, Ala., when he died Police called the death an "accident" after the boy was forgotten by the state contractor transporting him The death of anAlabama toddler who was left inside a hot carfor hours was "forgotten" by a state contractor, police reportedly said. Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr. in Birmingham, Ala. had been in foster care when he died and was being "transported" to a visit with his father by a Department of Human of Human Resources contractor when he died, the department previously confirmed to PEOPLE. He was allegedly left in a car for five hours in the afternoon as temperatures hit triple digits in Alabama, police said,WVTM13reported. Speaking toNBC News, Birmingham police Sgt. Laquitta Wade called the incident an accident. "At this time, the only thing that I can say is that we believe it [the child's death] was accidental," Wade told NBC News, saying that a contractor had "forgotten that the child was in the vehicle." Police previously told PEOPLE that the contractor, who has since been terminated, has been cooperative with the investigation. Related:3-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Left in Hot Car While with Child Services, Which Took Him Away from His Family Wade further told the outlet that any charging decisions would be made by prosecutors. Ke'Torrius' family lawyer Courtney French said in an interview with PEOPLE, "Had he been with his parents, nothing like this would have ever occurred." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. French told PEOPLE a DHR contractor was taking Ke'Torrius, who was in temporary foster care, to his daycare around 11:30 a.m. after a supervised visit with his biological father. https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf However, the woman then allegedly left him in the car and went shopping for her family, French said. Once the DHR contractor returned to their own residence, she allegedly left Ke'Torrius in the car for five hours. "This is a parent's worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive," the child's parents said in a statement through French, per the outlet. DHR previously told AL.com that the contract provider has since terminated the employee. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article onPeople
