A man who was facing prison time for the death of his two-year-old daughter, whom he left in a hot car for hours while watching adult content, has passed away. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office in Arizona confirmed the death of Christopher Scholtes on Wednesday, with the cause of death remaining undisclosed.
Scholtes failed to appear at a hearing in Pima County Superior Court, scheduled before his sentencing on November 21. The Pima County Medical Examiner determined that the car’s temperature reached approximately 43°C when emergency responders arrived, leading to the child’s death due to heat exposure.
The 38-year-old father had previously entered a plea agreement with prosecutors in October, admitting guilt to second-degree murder in the tragic incident involving his daughter, Parker, in July 2024.
Initially facing a 20 to 30-year prison term, Scholtes had been out on bail until the day of his scheduled custody transfer, which was Wednesday, November 5. His arrest on July 9, 2024, occurred after he left his youngest child unattended in a car while engrossed in video games.
During the incident, Scholtes was found to have been searching for explicit content on his PlayStation and claimed he left his daughter in the car outside their residence in Marana, a town south of Phoenix, to let her sleep.
Despite initially stating that he left the child with the air conditioning on for 30 minutes, Scholtes later admitted that the engine automatically shut off after half an hour. The tragic discovery was made by the girl’s mother hours later, with the air conditioning off and external temperatures hitting 43°C.
Surveillance footage revealed that Scholtes had shoplifted beer earlier in the day, consuming some in a restroom while leaving his daughter unattended in the car. He had also falsely claimed the child was left alone for a brief duration, contrary to video evidence showing a significant time gap.
Following the heartbreaking incident, an autopsy disclosed the child’s body temperature at a fatal 42.72°C, attributing her demise to environmental heat exposure deemed accidental.
Investigations revealed that Scholtes had a history of leaving his children unattended in vehicles for prolonged periods, as disclosed by his other children. Allegations emerged of repeated instances of neglectful behavior and other forms of abuse within the household.
Scholtes’ demise occurred amidst legal actions initiated by his 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, who filed a lawsuit detailing a history of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse inflicted by him. The lawsuit highlighted various abuses, including assault, battery, child neglect, and fraudulent actions.
Despite facing public backlash and legal challenges, Scholtes was controversially permitted to travel to Hawaii for a family vacation, a decision that stirred further criticism due to the circumstances surrounding his daughter’s tragic death.
Scholtes and his wife, Erika, had recently relocated to a new residence in Phoenix, distancing themselves from the site of the unfortunate incident in Marana.
