Birmingham Woman Charged in Death of Foster Child Left in Hot Car
Candlelight vigil, balloon release held Friday evening in KJ’s memory
Kela Stanford, 54, a contract transport driver for Covenant Services working with Alabama DHR, was booked at 7:04 a.m. and released at 8:14 a.m. Friday after posting a $30,000 bond. Stanford was arrested in connection with the death of 3‑year‑old Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes Jr.. The Jefferson County District Attorney announced Friday that Stanford faces a Class B felony charge under the Amiyah White Act, which makes it illegal to leave a child or incapacitated person unattended in a car if it poses an unreasonable risk of harm.
“This is a terrible tragedy that was completely avoidable and unnecessary,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
On July 22, KJ had completed a supervised visit with his biological father at a DHR office in Bessemer. Stanford was supposed to take him back to daycare. Instead, she ran errands—stopping to eat and shop—then went home. According to audio captured in a family call and reported by WBRC, she said:
Stanford: “I got sidetracked … instead of going to the daycare … I … said in my head, ‘Well, I’m done for the day … I can go home.’ … And I forgot he was back there.”
On that same call, a family member confronted her:
Relative: “This baby died in a car. He suffocated. He didn’t have no help … You didn’t think to look in the back seat?!”
Stanford replied: “I wouldn’t have killed no child.”
Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said KJ was left inside the locked vehicle, windows up, from about 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and was declared dead at 6:03 p.m.
Temperatures that afternoon climbed into the triple digits. Courtney French, the family’s attorney, said the car’s interior likely reached 150 degrees. “This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” she said. “This tragedy was preventable.”
The charge of leaving a child unattended falls under Alabama’s Amiyah White Act, enacted in 2013. It prohibits leaving children under age 7 unattended in vehicles in dangerous conditions. Violations can result in fines or charges ranging from misdemeanor to felony depending on outcomes like death or injury.
KJ’s death has sparked public outrage and calls for accountability from local lawmakers. State Senator Merika Coleman emphasized the need for answers and urged possible legislative review to prevent similar cases.
KJ’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Sixth Avenue Beulah Baptist Church. A candlelight vigil and balloon release was held Friday evening in Bessemer across from the DHR office (pictures courtesy of Sherrie Saunders):
