Teenager starved to death at Birmingham hotel; Mother accused, not in custody

The Birmingham Police Department has arrested the mother of a boy found dead at the Extended Stay America in Cahaba Park Circle.

Aston Starkey, 13, of Birmingham, was discovered March 2 and transported to Grandview Hospital. The child was declared dead by the hospital staff.

Birmingham PD and the Shelby County Department of Human Resources (DHR) have launched an investigation due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

When the autopsy results came back on June 6, it was revealed that Starkey died of malnutrition and dehydration complicated by neglect.

The coroner’s office determined the manner of death to be homicide.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has issued a homicide warrant against the victim’s mother, Serena Starkey, 43, of Birmingham. She had not yet been taken into custody as of Wednesday evening.

Anyone with information on Starkey’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Birmingham PD Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764.

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