A man who was facing prison time for the death of his two-year-old daughter, who perished in a hot car as he watched adult content, has passed away.
Christopher Scholtes, 38, was declared deceased by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office in Arizona on Wednesday, with the cause of death not disclosed.
Scholtes, who had agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the tragic incident that occurred in July 2024, did not show up for a court hearing in Pima County Superior Court on the same day. Officials determined that the temperature inside the car where his daughter died was approximately 43 °C when emergency responders arrived, confirming heat exposure as the cause of death.
The father, who was supposed to be sentenced to 20 to 30 years in jail, had been out on bail until his scheduled custody date on Wednesday.
Upon leaving the Pima County court, prosecutors appeared visibly affected and promised to release more information later in the day.
Scholtes, who resided with his wife Erika, an anesthesiologist, in a new million-dollar home in Phoenix, had left his daughter, Parker, unattended in a car with the air conditioning running. Erika, who was working at Banner University Medical Center at the time, defended her husband in court, describing the tragedy as a mistake.
Initially pleading not guilty, Scholtes eventually accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder and child abuse charges that would result in a 20 to 30-year sentence, rejecting a previous offer for a shorter prison term.
In a recent development, Scholtes and Erika were sued by their 17-year-old daughter for various claims including emotional distress, assault, battery, and fraud.
Evidence from text messages between the couple suggested that leaving their children in the car unattended was a common practice for Scholtes, as his wife had warned him against it while their daughter was being rushed to the hospital.
The exact circumstances of Scholtes’ death remain undisclosed in the medical examiner’s report.
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