This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A 3-year-old boy taken from his parents by Child Protective Services in Alabama has died after being left in a hot car for hours … by a contractor for CPS.
The CPS worker allegedly took the child for a visit with his father, then ran "personal errands" on the way back, eventually forgetting the boy was in the car.
A report at People.com said the death, a week ago, happened in Birmingham.
The boy was identified as Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr.
He was in the custody of the Department of Human Services at the time, and Courtney French, a lawyer for the family, told the publication, "The very system that is in place for his protection was the system that led to his death."
The report explained the child was found unresponsive in the vehicle outside a location on Pine Tree Drive.
State officials revealed he was "accidentally left inside … while in the care of a third-party contracted worker through the Department of Human Resources."
The report said he was in temporary custody of the state over claims of drug use in his home.
He apparently was abandoned in the vehicle about 12:30 p.m., and found about five hours later. He was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m. Temperatures during the period reached 96 degrees, the report said.
According to the lawyer, the worker was employed to transport children, and took the child to a supervised visit with his father, but then decided to "run numerous personal errands with KJ still in the car seat in the back."
State officials declined to identify the child or describe the circumstances because of "confidentiality."
