Alabama authorities on Monday called the death of a toddler inside a hot car a tragic accident after a contractor for the state Department of Human Resources allegedly had "forgotten that the child was in the vehicle.

The family of 3-year-old Ke’Torrius “K.J.” Starkes Jr. is remembering the little boy as a “joyful,” “brilliant” “happy boy who loved life, who would light up any room that he would enter into.”

A 3-year-old child died after being left in a vehicle while in the care of a contractor for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the Birmingham Police Department said in a press release. Ke’Torrius Starkes, from Bessemer, died on July 22, police and an attorney representing his family said.