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The child, who was in foster care, died on July 22 after being left in a vehicle. A contractor for the state’s Human Resources Department was charged with a felony on Friday.
Aug. 1, 2025, 8:56 p.m. ET
A contractor for Alabama’s Human Resources Department was arrested and charged on Friday in connection with the death of a 3-year-old boy who was left in a hot car while in the state’s custody, prosecutors said.
The contractor, Kela Stanford, 54, of Birmingham, was charged with being a person for hire responsible for a child under the age of 7 and leaving a child or incapacitated person unattended in a motor vehicle in a manner that creates an unreasonable risk of injury or harm, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Friday.
Ms. Stanford was booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham and released on bond on Friday, according to jail records.
It was not immediately clear if she had a lawyer. Efforts to reach her on Friday night were unsuccessful.
If convicted of the felony charge, she could face a sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
The prosecutor’s office did not release any other information about the case, saying it was a pending matter.
The charge against Ms. Stanford came 10 days after a child in foster care whom she was supervising, Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr., was left in a vehicle from about 12:30 p.m. to about 5:30 p.m., on July 22 in Bessemer, a southwestern suburb of Birmingham, according to G. Courtney French, a lawyer representing the boy’s family.
