A tragic incident unfolded when a two-year-old girl lost her life after being left unattended in her father’s car for three hours. Prosecutors revealed during a recent court session that the father, Christopher Scholtes, 37, was distracted by watching explicit videos while his daughter, Parker, remained inside the vehicle. This heartbreaking event took place in Arizona, where temperatures soared to a blistering 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43°C) last summer, according to reports from MailOnline.
Authorities stated that Scholtes was not only engrossed in adult content but was also playing video games and consuming alcohol during the time his daughter suffered fatal heat exposure inside a 2003 Acura parked in his driveway on July 9, 2024.
Court documents further revealed that before arriving home, Scholtes left Parker alone in the car at both a gas station and a grocery store. Surveillance footage reportedly captured him stealing beer cans during these stops. Initially, Scholtes claimed he left Parker sleeping in the car with the air conditioning running for about 30 minutes after returning from shopping around 12:30 p.m., not wanting to disturb her rest. However, evidence later indicated he became absorbed in video games for over three hours until his wife, Erika, a doctor, returned home at 4 p.m. and found their daughter unresponsive in the vehicle.
The toddler was declared dead an hour later at Banner University Medical Center, the same hospital where Erika works as an anesthesiologist.
Scholtes reportedly admitted knowing that the car’s engine would automatically shut off after 30 minutes. Following the tragedy, Erika sent him a series of anguished text messages, highlighting a troubling pattern of neglect. “I told you not to leave them in the car,” she wrote, describing their youngest daughter as “perfect.” Scholtes responded with remorse, acknowledging, “I killed our baby,” and apologizing.
According to police reports, Scholtes’ two older daughters disclosed that he had previously left them alone in the car while he became distracted by gaming or putting away groceries. His 16-year-old daughter, from a previous relationship with whom he lost custody earlier this year, had also been left in the car before but was old enough to restart the vehicle to protect her siblings, family members told authorities.
The Department of Child Services has accused Scholtes of repeatedly physically abusing his eldest daughter, citing incidents where he allegedly slapped her, threw her, and slammed her head against walls.
Despite facing first-degree murder charges for the alleged killing-a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty-Scholtes’ wife has stood by him, describing the tragedy as a grave mistake.
After his arrest, police bodycam footage surfaced showing officers desperately attempting to resuscitate the toddler found in the overheated car. The video captures the frantic efforts of first responders performing CPR, while Scholtes is seen pacing nearby, crying out for his daughter, pleading, “Please baby, please. I can’t believe this. Oh my God.”
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