The 16-year-old daughter of an Arizona man is speaking out three weeks after he allegedly left his 2-year-old daughter to die in a hot car.

On July 9, Christopher Scholtes’ toddler died in a hot car parked outside their Marana home, where she was reportedly left for three hours. Scholtes has been charged with second-degree murder, and his 16-year-old daughter told KVOA that her father often left her alone in the car — sometimes for hours at a time — when she was as young as seven.

“Actually, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. [Once,] I had to go sit out in the car for four to five hours and continuously had to restart the car and had only eaten once that day,” she told the news outlet.

READ: 2-Year-Old Arizona Tot Dies in Hot Car While Dad is ‘Distracted’ by PlayStation and Food

According to an interim complaint, 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, Schlotes “got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away” while their sister was in the car.

The 16-year-old, who asked not to be named, is Schlotes’ daughter from a previous relationship. KVOA reported that the teen did not meet Scholtes until she was five, and he had custody of her for years despite her wishes.

According to the news outlet, Scholtes eventually lost custody of his daughter, and she went to live with her mother until her sudden death in May. She currently lives with a friend’s mother.

“If they [CPS] would have taken away my little sisters when I was taken away none of this would have happened,” Schlotes’ teen daughter told KVOA. “All I think about is how my father’s walking free right now.”

Schlotes is currently free on a $25,000 bond. Marana police told KVOA that the Department of Child Safety did not inform them of Schlotes’ prior involvement with the agency.

“Prior to this investigation, DCS either did not contact us regarding the reports or the incidents did not occur within our jurisdiction. DCS has never contacted us regarding the Scholtes family and the Marana Police Department has not received a concerning report about the family prior to this incident,” police said.

Schlotes is due back in court on August 1.

Sixteen children have died in hot cars this year, including Scholtes’ daughter. According to No Heat Stroke, 29 children died of vehicular heatstrokes in 2023.

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[Feature Photo: Christopher and Parker Scholtes/Facebook]