(WDNews) On Monday, a lady accused of being involved in the death of 3-year-old Ke Torrius KJ Starkes did not show up for her scheduled court appearance.
According to court documents, Kela Stanford was supposed to appear at the case’s initial call hearing but chose not to. According to the prosecution, Stanford killed Starkes by leaving him in a heated car for several hours. She was employed at the time by Covenant Services, a business that the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) had hired to drive kids to daycare.
Stanford faces a Class B felony accusation and is presently free on bond. A hearing in her case is anticipated to be rescheduled for next month. A warrant for her arrest may be issued if she doesn’t show up again.
State lawmakers have expressed worries about DHR and its contractors’ oversight in the wake of the tragedy. District 57 state representative Patrick Sellers stated that the circumstance suggests more significant systemic issues.
The system’s obvious flaws have been exposed by this catastrophe. According to Sellers, such cracks cost a child his life. The difficult questions must be asked. How did this occur while KJ’s caretakers were watching? Where did the oversight occur?
As demands for reform and more robust accountability measures to safeguard children in the state’s custody increase, the inquiry into Starke’s death is still ongoing.
