Christopher Scholtes, Arizona man who let 2-year-old daughter die in hot car, found dead before prison sentence

Christopher Scholtes, Arizona man who pleaded guilty to leaving his 2-year-old daughter to die in a sweltering car while he was inside the home playing video games, has been found dead, according to reports.

Scholtes was due to appear in court the same day to be taken into custody and begin serving his prison sentence but never showed up.

He had recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison for the 2023 death of his daughter, who died after being left unattended in a hot vehicle in the family’s driveway.

Authorities said Scholtes’ cause of death remains under investigation.

His older daughter, who turns 18 this month, filed a lawsuit against him last week, accusing him of causing severe emotional distress.

Arizona toddler died after being left in hot car for hours

2-year-old Arizona girl named Parker died after being left strapped in a vehicle for several hours on July 9, 2024, as temperatures outside reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit, according to reports.

Authorities said Parker’s father, Christopher Scholtes, had left her in the family’s car for about three hours while he stayed inside the home playing video games. The vehicle’s engine and air conditioning, which he claimed to have left running, shut off automatically after roughly 30 minutes, KGUN 9 Tucson reported.

Emergency responders from the Marana Police Department and firefighters arrived at the home near Paseo Rancho Acero and Paytons Court, where they found the toddler unresponsive in the backseat. She was pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy later revealed her body temperature had reached 108.9 degrees.

Scholtes initially told police he had only stepped inside briefly, but security footage contradicted his account, showing the child had been left unattended for hours until his wife returned home.

Body-camera footage captured Scholtes pacing and telling officers it was “his worst nightmare.” Investigators later learned from his two other children, ages 5 and 9, that he had routinely left them in the car while gaming, and that on that tragic day, “he got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away.”

Scholtes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year and was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.