this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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The family of 3-year-old Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr. is remembering the little boy as a “joyful,” “brilliant” “happy boy who loved life, who would light up any room that he would enter into.”

The toddler died after he was trapped inside a hot car while in the custody of a worker contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the state’s child protective services agency, according to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office and the state Department of Human Resources. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating the death.

K.J. had been left inside a car parked outside a home in Birmingham for several hours during the middle of the day on Tuesday, the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

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[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 1 points 29 minutes ago

Toss the perpetrator in a dumpster in Death Valley and lock the top.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 27 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

If you feel anger. Good. You should. The easiest target is the worker. But ask yourself this. Why was there only one?

The general rule for most professions that deal with kids is that adults should never be alone 1 on 1 with a kid.

This worker is probably paid the least of any profession that deals with children, and they are asked to do it alone, with no backup to help catch mistakes.

So I blame the state for not investing in the well-being of children.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

This looks to be a case of manslaughter, defined by state law as if one "(1) Recklessly causes the death of another person." For criminal liability, it really is that simple. The person who did the immediate bad act is charged with the most severe crime.

It seems you want to blame the state. Great! Talking about civil liability, you can be sure the victim's family will sue the worker, their company, and the state, and they'll probably settle out of court because it's a sure win for the plaintiff.

[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 10 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That being said, this worker should still be held criminally accountable for the death of this child. Regardless of the states culpability in not allocating enough money to hire the number of workers necessary to care for the children they supervise, this person was still criminally negligent.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

that's a tough one for me. I mean there need to be repercussions. After all, they did take the job and did know the responsibilities. But maybe they expected more support to avoid these kinds of mistakes. Or maybe they expected the hiring manager to ensure they were qualified. And likely they will have to live with this horrible pain for the rest of there lived. No way to know from here. But I am not sure it "automatically" should result in crimanal charges that I would expect jail time from.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Well, the letter of the law is clear enough. IANAL but it looks like there's probable cause for manslaughter charges. We'll have to see if the DA agrees. But that doesn't mean a jury will convict. They'll want to hear all of the details that we don't yet know.

On a general level, though, I would say your position is soft. I believe that if you work a job with small children or other people who can't keep themselves safe (people with Alzheimer's, etc.), you have a moral obligation to keep them reasonably safe. If your working conditions are so bad that you can't, then either blow the whistle or quit. If you don't, everyone will blame you in the end. This is basic CYA for any job, of course, but it's extra important when people's lives are on the line.

[–] CorruptCheesecake@lemmy.world 12 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

If the state actually invested in things besides private prisons and locking people up for smoking a joint it wouldn't be such a miserable backwards shithole but if the dirt roads leading to the redneck's trailers out in the sticks were paved they wouldn't have their trucks covered in mud every time they went into town and that would infringe on their cultural identity as tribal swamp people.

[–] StarryPhoenix97@lemmy.world 54 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 14 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I know it's horrifying. This isn't a momentary lapse there's no defence for it. It's so bad I'm wondering if it's deliberate

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 13 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Yeah when it's the parent who does it, it's usually because they're completely exhausted from trying to tend to the baby and... Tragic.

But this is a person in the clock...?

I mean idk I'd like to know more about this person's general wellbeing/state. Are they working 3 jobs? Dealing with loss or something? Or was this just a day at work?

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

If you have ever met an actual cps worker you would know. They don't take that job for the money. They are asked to work in often horrible circumstances, with thier hands essentially tied behind thier backs. Just imagine taking a child to visit a parent who isn't allowed to be alone with thier own kid. That often is going to be heartbreaking and insanely stressful.
Mistakes happen. If the state/community really cared, there would always be at least two workers with a child in custody at any time. And they would be paid better so that the hiring manager could be more choosy about who they hired. Google spends more on redundancy alone to ensure you can always read your email. So don't blame the person, blame the system the put them in over thier head.

[–] StarryPhoenix97@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

I don't care how "tied" your hands are. A child in a hotbox for HOURS is on you. Unless they had been awake for 36 hours straight or something there's no excuse and even that excuse is weak. You don't just FORGET that you put a child in a fucking car for hours. Not unless there's a severe cognitive issue like drug use or exhaustion.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world -1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

well, what you are saying is just not true. Someone in these comments posted a link to some science providing evidence to the same.

[–] StarryPhoenix97@lemmy.world 0 points 2 hours ago

You can take that science and shove it. They strapped a PERSON into a CAR SEAT and left them there for 5 hours after going home to do personal errands. I don't care about your 'science' the story stops with they didn't take the child home. Fuck them and fuck anyone that defends them. Negligence is negligence is negligence. There is no science for that.

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 0 points 13 hours ago

Yep or they're just abusive/neglectful parents. Surely the staff member must have told colleagues they'd collected the kids? You don't just do it on a whim, there's procedures, laws and policies in place so managers must have known. And NONE of them realised the child was in the car?

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 122 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This is fucking infuriating. Pure rage.

I remember being in a car too long around the age of 5/6. I'm middle aged, I still remember due to the mild trauma.

Fuck. This poor kid died suffering, crying, screaming. Until he probably passed out due to exhaustion and dehydration.

FUCK.

Those involved deserve prison. Long sentences.

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 7 points 18 hours ago

yea ideally not just the contracted worker, anyone involved in setting up such a soulless shit piece of a system

[–] forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 56 points 1 day ago

Let's not forget that this was after he had his entire concept of safety and security shattered due to being taken away from his family.

This involved have never deserved the air they breathe.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The whole domain of foster care, CPS/CYF offices, and adoptions is a huge and tragic world that exists all around us but is invisible to most people.

Almost anybody who works in that world is in the same situation as jobs like teachers and game developers where passionate people are aggressively exploited by the business drones. But they have to deal with sadder higher stakes while getting even worse pay and nowhere near the resources they need. So then they become victims of the system too.

And we all know that here in the US at least, our population does not give a fuuuuuuck about living children breathing air outside wombs. And when they are poor and "urban?" Forget about it.

I can hear conservative distant relatives now: "Sounds like his baby mama should have taken better care of him!" (Of course with the term "baby mama" shoehorned in where it doesn't fit in order to make sure the sentence ends with an air of racism and dehumanization of an innocent child)

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

Oklahoma DHS let a Cherokee girl die just last week. THREE WEEKS MISSING, no report, the just found her body.

[–] AreaKode@lemmy.world 150 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wow. CPS takes your kid away, and promptly proves that they aren't capable of being a safe guardian either.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 65 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child

Raised by wolves

Hessian wolf-children[19]: 15–7 [20] (1304, 1341 and 1344) lived with the Eurasian wolf in the forests of Hesse:

  • The first boy (1304) was taken by wolves at age 3 and found when 7 or 8 by Benedictine monks, the wolves having cared for him by "surrounding him in cold weather, and fed him the best meat from the hunt." He was later sent to the court of Prince Henry, and became accustomed to human society but said he preferred the wolves.[21]

Frankly, Alabama, I think that you need to up your child-rearing game to at least wolf-level.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Workers contracted? Independent contractors are allowed to have custody of children? That's psychotic.

[–] Ghyste@sh.itjust.works 11 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Privatizing everything possible so the maximum number of shitbags enjoy the grift is a repugger wet dream.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You've got the rest of the union to help you along ... What's going wrong?

[–] cannon_annon88@lemmy.today 2 points 9 hours ago

State's rights?

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 day ago

Sounds like that should be illegal. You would at least hope it is but we will sub contract anything.

[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 84 points 1 day ago

So the family managed to at least keep him alive for 3 years, the state takes him and he's dead after a few hours. This isn't going to go well for anybody. Poor kid.

[–] MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io 45 points 1 day ago (4 children)

The fact CPS is part of the Department of Human Resources seems about on par for Alabama

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Reconstruction 2: This time we finish the job

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

Remember to take your antibiotics to the end of the course, people.

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[–] MeekerThanBeaker@lemmy.world 43 points 1 day ago

Several hours? Unbelievable! JFC!

[–] avattar@lemmy.sdf.org 34 points 1 day ago (2 children)

If I lived in Alabama and CPS tried to take my child away, I would rather die protecting him.

[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 25 points 1 day ago

Exactly. Even if the parents are unsafe for the kid, the government's just proved that it's even worse. Good luck trying to get people to give up their kids voluntarily.

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's not just Alabama.

Georgia has repeatedly failed my kids by not preventing them from being abused (obviously not by me)

[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This country has repeatedly proven itself to just not care about people, especially kids and the elderly. It's depressing and horrifying and monstrous. Guess we can add that to the pile of depravity.

[–] cannon_annon88@lemmy.today 2 points 8 hours ago

Our tech is amazing though! Meta Ray-Bans! Social media is fun!

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[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Send the guy to prison. Term length doesn't matter.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 3 points 17 hours ago

A few hours in a car should do.

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