A devastating tragedy in Birmingham has sparked outrage after a DHR-contracted transport worker left 3-year-old Keterrius “KJ” Sparks in a hot car for five hours—ultimately leading to the child’s death.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd, on Pine Tree Drive. Authorities say KJ was picked up from a scheduled DHR visitation by a representative from Covenant Services, a private agency hired by the Department of Human Resources to handle child transport.
The worker reportedly forgot KJ in the back seat, leaving him alone from around 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
By the time emergency responders arrived, it was too late. The toddler had died from heat exposure.
The worker responsible has since been terminated, and while DHR released a brief statement acknowledging a child in their custody died during transport, they declined to share more due to privacy restrictions. The Birmingham Police Department confirmed the employee is cooperating with their investigation.
KJ’s biological father, Ke’Torrius Sparks Sr., said he last saw his son that morning during a supervised visit. As he said goodbye, KJ repeated something he always did: “Daddy, I want to go with you.” That would be their final moment together.
Later that day, when KJ’s foster family went to pick him up from daycare, he was missing. It wasn’t until hours later that the horrific mistake was discovered.
The entire family—both biological and foster—has been left shattered, struggling to understand how a child in protective custody could be left behind so carelessly.
