A tragic incident unfolded when a two-year-old girl passed away from being inadvertently left in a hot car, with her body temperature exceeding 40C upon discovery by emergency responders. The father, Christopher Scholtes, aged 38, had left his daughter Parker inside the vehicle for several hours upon returning home, believing she was asleep with the air conditioning running. Unfortunately, Scholtes’ wife, who is an anaesthesiologist, was at work during the event. It wasn’t until she returned around 4pm and inquired about their daughter’s whereabouts that Scholtes rushed to check the car at their Marana residence near Tucson, Arizona.
The 2023 Acura MDX had been parked in direct sunlight on a scorching July 9th last year, with the car seat positioned on the driver’s side facing a westward window. The day recorded temperatures of 43C when authorities were alerted. On the day Scholtes was set to surrender himself following a plea agreement, he was tragically discovered deceased.
According to police reports, Scholtes acknowledged knowingly leaving his daughter in the car, explaining that he usually parked in the garage but refrained that day due to obstructing exercise equipment. Investigators revealed that Scholtes’ other children, aged nine and five, disclosed that they were frequently left unattended in the vehicle by their father.
The children further informed authorities that their father became engrossed in gaming and putting away food while their sister remained in the car. As part of the investigation, law enforcement confiscated a PlayStation and other electronics. Prosecutors alleged that Scholtes consumed alcohol, played video games, and viewed adult content while his daughter suffered in the hot car. Although Scholtes initially claimed his daughter was left for about 30 minutes, surveillance footage contradicted this timeline, showing him returning home at 1pm, and his wife discovering their daughter missing at 4pm.
Upon rushing to the vehicle, they found the child motionless in her car seat. Despite immediate medical attention and transportation to the hospital, the young girl could not be saved. Subsequent autopsy results indicated the girl’s body temperature at 108.9F (42.72C) when emergency responders found her unresponsive, with the cause of death attributed to environmental heat exposure, ruled an accident.
Scholtes initially stated that he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on for half an hour after she fell asleep following a shopping trip, only later realizing that the car’s engine shuts off automatically after that time. Bodycam footage captured Scholtes expressing distress, acknowledging the situation as his worst nightmare. Text exchanges between Scholtes and his wife revealed a history of leaving children unattended in the car.
In a heart-wrenching message, the wife chastised Scholtes for repeated negligence, lamenting the loss of their daughter. Scholtes ultimately admitted guilt, accepting a plea deal for second-degree murder and child abuse. Scheduled to surrender, he was discovered deceased at a residence in a northern Phoenix suburb, where he was to serve a maximum 30-year prison sentence for the charges, with sentencing initially set for November 21st.