An Alabama woman, Kela Stanford, 54, who worked for a state child care service, is facing charges of manslaughter after a toddler died in a hot car under her care. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Stanford was initially wanted for leaving a child under seven unattended in a vehicle, creating an unreasonable risk of harm or injury.
The tragic incident resulted in the death of 3-year-old Ketorrius Starks, Jr., who was often under Stanford’s supervision. The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office expressed their condolences to the boy’s family, stating that the tragedy was entirely avoidable and unnecessary.
Stanford was employed by The Covenant Services at the time of the incident. This private company is contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources to transport children to and from daycare. On July 22, the young boy, known as KJ, was discovered alone in a car parked outside a house on Pine Tree Drive. It was determined that he had been left in the vehicle for approximately five hours, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced the boy dead at the scene, which was the driveway outside Stanford’s home. Stanford was known to the family as the woman from Covenant who picked up KJ, a child in the foster care system, from the state and took him to his daycare appointments.
Following KJ’s death, the child welfare agency released a statement. They confirmed that a child in their custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. The provider has since terminated the employee involved.
In a phone call allegedly between Stanford and KJ’s family after the tragedy, Stanford is heard saying she got sidetracked and forgot about the child in the car. The child’s father and other relatives expressed their disbelief and grief over the incident.
The boy’s father last saw him alive the morning he died during a scheduled visitation at the DHR offices in Bessemer, a suburb of Birmingham. The family held a vigil and press conference in KJ’s honor on Friday.
G. Courtney French, the family’s attorney, addressed the allegations against Stanford, stating that she had one job to do, which was to pick KJ up. French added that the tragedy was preventable and that the interior temperature of the car where KJ was trapped likely exceeded 140 degrees.
Stanford was arrested on Friday morning and quickly released after posting a $30,000 bond. She missed her first court appearance on Monday, and a new hearing will now be scheduled for September.