Arizona prosecutors have alleged that a father was drinking beer, playing video games, and watching adult content while his two-year-old daughter tragically died from heat exposure in a car on a scorching 109-degree day last summer.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his daughter, Parker, on July 9, 2024. Prosecutors claimed during a court hearing in Tucson that Scholtes has a history of leaving his children unattended in cars, citing witness testimonies and text messages exchanged between him and his wife as evidence obtained during the investigation.
According to prosecutors, Scholtes was so engrossed in his video games and adult content that he left his child in the parked car in their Marana driveway for over three hours, leading to her death.
Text messages presented by the prosecutors indicate a pattern of neglectful behavior by the father, showing instances where he left his children inside vehicles.
Scholtes’ two daughters informed the police that he had previously left them in cars and often became distracted while playing games or handling food, as per police records cited in The Mirror US.
The father admitted to authorities that he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on for 30 minutes as she had fallen asleep on their way back from shopping. He later realized that the car’s engine automatically shuts off after half an hour. When his wife, Erika, a doctor, arrived home, she found their baby unconscious in the car.
Text messages exchanged between the couple suggest that Scholtes had left his children in the car on multiple occasions.
Erika expressed her frustration in a message to him, stating, “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you. We’ve lost her, she was perfect.”
Prosecutors claimed that Scholtes confessed to his wife that he “killed our baby” and apologized for his actions.