A man facing prison time for the death of his two-year-old daughter, who perished in a hot car while he was inside watching adult films, has passed away. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the death of Christopher Scholtes, 38, on November 5 without disclosing the cause of death.
Scholtes, who failed to appear at a hearing in Pima County Superior Court on the same day, was scheduled for sentencing on November 21. Medical examiners reported that the car’s interior temperature was approximately 43 °C when emergency responders arrived, indicating the child died from heat exposure.
The father had previously reached an agreement with prosecutors in October, admitting to the second-degree murder of his daughter, Parker, in July 2024. Although he was slated to serve 20 to 30 years in prison, he was allowed to remain free on bail until the day of his custody transfer.
Prosecutors left the court visibly affected and stated they would release additional details later that day. Scholtes’ death was recorded on Wednesday, but no specific location or additional information was provided by the medical examiner.
Christopher and his wife Erika, an anesthesiologist, had recently relocated to a $1 million home in Phoenix. Their daughter, Parker, tragically perished in Marana near Tucson, where she was left unattended in the family car with the air conditioning running. Erika, who was working at the same hospital where her daughter was taken, defended her husband’s actions as a “mistake” during court proceedings.
Initially pleading not guilty, Scholtes later accepted a plea deal for 20 to 30 years in prison after rejecting a lighter sentence offer. He and Erika were recently sued by their 17-year-old daughter for emotional distress, assault, battery, and fraud.
Text message exchanges between the couple revealed that leaving the children in the car unattended was a common practice for Scholtes, with Erika admonishing him about the behavior while their daughter was being rushed to the hospital.
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