Alabama toddler who died inside hot car was ‘forgotten’ by state contract worker, police say

Alabama authorities on Monday called the death of a toddler inside a hot car a tragic accident after a contractor for the state Department of Human Resources allegedly had “forgotten that the child was in the vehicle.”

Keterrius Sparks, a 3-year-old from Bessemer, was pronounced dead early Tuesday evening after he was found inside a hot car in the 1500 block of Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham, the Birmingham Police Department said in a statement. Afternoon temperatures reached the 90s on Tuesday, accompanied by humidity that made it feel like triple digits.

“At this time, the only thing that I can say is that we believe it [the child’s death] was accidental,” Birmingham police Sgt. Laquitta Wade told NBC News on Monday, adding that the contractor had “forgotten that the child was in the vehicle.”

Wade added that the police investigation is ongoing, and the district attorney would ultimately make any charging decisions.

Authorities say that Keterrius, who is in the foster care system, had been picked up by a “contracted worker” with the state Department of Human Resources from daycare to a scheduled visit with the boy’s father, police said.

After that visit, the boy was supposed to be driven back to daycare, but somehow ended up at the driver’s home and left inside that car, police said. Authorities were dispatched to the Prine Tree Drive home at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Katerrius was accidentally left inside of a vehicle while in the care of a third-party contracted worker through the Department of Human Resources,” a police statement says. “Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service arrived and pronounced the victim deceased.”

The contracted worker, who authorities have not identified, was questioned by investigators and “has been cooperative,” according to the police statement.

It’s still unclear how many hours the child was left inside the hot car, Wade said.

“A child in DHR custody was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred,” the Department of Human Resources said in a statement. “The provider has terminated their employee. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances.”

An attorney for the boy’s family could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.