diff --git a/api/include/opentelemetry/context/context.h b/api/include/opentelemetry/context/context.h
index 06b95a6248..ed6a87eed0 100644
--- a/api/include/opentelemetry/context/context.h
+++ b/api/include/opentelemetry/context/context.h
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ class Context
   template <class T>
   Context SetValues(T &values) noexcept
   {
-    Context context                   = Context(values);
-    nostd::shared_ptr<DataList> &last = context.head_;
+    Context context                  = Context(values);
+    nostd::shared_ptr<DataList> last = context.head_;
     while (last->next_ != nullptr)
     {
       last = last->next_;
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ class Context
 
     // Builds a data list off of a key and value iterable and returns the head
     template <class T>
-    DataList(const T &keys_and_vals) : key_{nullptr}
+    DataList(const T &keys_and_vals) : key_{nullptr}, next_(nostd::shared_ptr<DataList>{nullptr})
     {
       bool first = true;
       auto *node = this;
diff --git a/api/test/context/context_test.cc b/api/test/context/context_test.cc
index f9a6dfbfd4..66b7f34c45 100644
--- a/api/test/context/context_test.cc
+++ b/api/test/context/context_test.cc
@@ -78,14 +78,19 @@ TEST(ContextTest, ContextInheritance)
 {
   using M = std::map<std::string, context::ContextValue>;
 
-  M m1 = {{"test_key", (int64_t)123}, {"foo_key", (int64_t)456}};
-  M m2 = {{"other_key", (int64_t)789}};
+  M m1 = {{"test_key", (int64_t)123}, {"foo_key", (int64_t)321}};
+  M m2 = {{"other_key", (int64_t)789}, {"another_key", (int64_t)987}};
 
   context::Context test_context = context::Context(m1);
   context::Context foo_context  = test_context.SetValues(m2);
 
   EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(foo_context.GetValue("test_key")), 123);
-  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(foo_context.GetValue("foo_key")), 456);
+  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(foo_context.GetValue("foo_key")), 321);
+  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(foo_context.GetValue("other_key")), 789);
+  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(foo_context.GetValue("another_key")), 987);
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(test_context.GetValue("other_key")), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(nostd::get<int64_t>(test_context.GetValue("another_key")), 0);
 }
 
 // Tests that copying a context copies the key value pairs as expected.