Boy, 3, Who Died After 5 Hours in Hot Car Was 'Forgotten' by State Contractor Transporting Him to Visit with Dad By Samira Asma-Sadeque and Liam Quinn

The death of an Alabama toddler who was left inside a hot car for hours was “forgotten” by a state contractor, police reportedly said.

Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr. in Birmingham, Ala. had been in foster care when he died and was being “transported” to a visit with his father by a Department of Human of Human Resources contractor when he died, the department previously confirmed to PEOPLE.

He was allegedly left in a car for five hours in the afternoon as temperatures hit triple digits in Alabama, police said, WVTM13 reported.

Speaking to NBC News, Birmingham police Sgt. Laquitta Wade called the incident an accident.

“At this time, the only thing that I can say is that we believe it [the child’s death] was accidental,” Wade told NBC News, saying that a contractor had “forgotten that the child was in the vehicle.”

Police previously told PEOPLE that the contractor, who has since been terminated, has been cooperative with the investigation.

Wade further told the outlet that any charging decisions would be made by prosecutors.

Ke’Torrius’ family lawyer Courtney French said in an interview with PEOPLE, “Had he been with his parents, nothing like this would have ever occurred.”

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French told PEOPLE a DHR contractor was taking Ke’Torrius, who was in temporary foster care, to his daycare around 11:30 a.m. after a supervised visit with his biological father.

However, the woman then allegedly left him in the car and went shopping for her family, French said. Once the DHR contractor returned to their own residence, she allegedly left Ke’Torrius in the car for five hours.

“This is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our baby should be alive,” the child’s parents said in a statement through French, per the outlet.

DHR previously told AL.com that the contract provider has since terminated the employee.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.