A 2-year-old Arizona girl died last Tuesday, and now, police say her father may have been playing video games while he left his daughter trapped inside a hot car.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Christopher Scholtes, 37, is accused of leaving his daughter, Parker, in a car parked outside their Marana home last week. Scholtes claimed he left the air conditioning on and that he never intended to harm his daughter.
An interim complaint obtained by Gray News states Scholtes’ other two children, ages 9 and 5, said it was typical for Scholtes to leave them alone in the vehicle. They added that on the day in question, the defendant “got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away” while their sister was in the car.
Investigators said Scholtes’ timeline of events does not match security video obtained from a neighbor. A video confirmed Scholtes left Parker in the vehicle for three hours, not one hour, as he reportedly claimed.
Further, Scholtes claimed they got home around 2 p.m., but security video shows the vehicle arriving at 12:53 p.m. and not leaving again. Around 4 p.m., Scholtes’ wife, Dr. Erika Scholtes, came home from work and asked where their daughter was. Scholtes and his wife then went outside to check the vehicle.
Scholtes allegedly said his phone will ping when the car overheats or shuts off, but that didn’t happen. The car was reportedly not running when Scholtes’ wife discovered Parker unresponsive and performed CPR. She then called 911.
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?” Scholtes’ wife later said in a text message.
Scholtes :”Babe, I’m sorry!”
Erica: “We’ve lost her, she was perfect,”
Scholtes: “Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”
Court documents indicate that the temperature was 109 degrees at the time of the call, with the vehicle parked in direct sunlight.
The defendant allegedly claimed that he took his daughter on some errands and then went home. He then left her sleeping in the vehicle while he went inside the residence. Although he claimed he left the vehicle running with the AC on, when he went back outside, the car was off and his daughter was unconscious.
He added that he usually parked the vehicle in a garage, but didn’t on July 9 because exercise equipment was in the way. Detectives from the Marana Police Department subsequently seized a PlayStation, several other electronics, and a 2023 Acura MDX from the residence.
Scholtes made his initial court appearance on Friday, where he entered a not guilty plea to second-degree murder and child abuse.
During the appearance, Scholtes’ wife spoke, saying she wanted him back home to begin the grieving process. She also said he is not a risk to the community.
Scholtes’ only criminal history is a DUI charge from 15 years ago.
“I’m just asking if you can allow him to come home to us so that we can all start the grieving process, so he can bury our daughter with us this coming week and that we can go through this whole process together as a family,” Erica Scholtes said.
A judge gave the defendant a $25,000 bond and scheduled a hearing for August 1.
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[Feature Photo: Christopher and Parker Scholtes/Facebook]
