BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A 3-year-old boy died Tuesday after being left unattended in a hot car by an Alabama Department of Human Resources contract worker, authorities said.

Ketorrius Starkes Jr. was found dead hours after the DHR employee left him in the vehicle on Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham. The child was in the agency's care for a supervised visitation when the incident occurred.

"Smart, brilliant, bright little child," said Ketorrius Starkes Sr., the boy's father. "He knew how to count, knew his colors at three years old, knew all the animals. He was very intelligent and joyful."

According to family members, the child's routine involved being picked up from daycare by a DHR transporter and taken to the agency's Bessemer building for supervised visits with his father.

"His foster pare

See Full Page