A 3-year-old Alabama boy died Tuesday when he was left alone inside a hot vehicle in Birmingham for roughly five hours.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the child as Keterrious Starks Jr. He lived in Bessemer.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Keterrious was left alone in the vehicle in the 1500 block of Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham.

The vehicle was in the driveway of a private residence. It was not running and the windows were rolled up.

Yates said the boy was in the car from 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:03 p.m.

According to Keterrious aunt, Brittney Debruce, the boy is in DHR custody and lives in a foster home.

When the foster parent went to pick the child up from daycare, he was not there, Debruce said.

Debruce said a transport driver – possibly from a company that contract with DHR for transport children to visitations – picked up Keterriuos to take him to DHR in Bessemer for a scheduled visit with his father.

When that visit was over, she said, Keterrious was never returned to daycare.

Debruce said Birmingham police found her nephew inside the car. They and DHR then notified Debruce’s sister that the child had died.

The parents and other family members are beyond distraught.

“We don’t know what’s going on,” Debruce said.

Efforts to reach DHR for comment weren’t immediately successful.

The death is under investigation by Birmingham police.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.