Father Who Left Toddler to Die in Hot Car Found Dead Before Facing Sentencing
A chilling twist has emerged in one of Arizona’s most disturbing child abuse cases.
Christopher Scholtes, 38, who recently admitted to killing his two-year-old daughter, Parker, was found dead on the very day he was scheduled to report to prison.
Just weeks earlier, Scholtes had pleaded guilty to murder and child abuse after leaving his toddler trapped in a scorching car for up to three hours outside their home in Tucson on July 9, 2024. Temperatures that day reached a blistering 109°F.
Investigators later discovered that while his daughter suffered inside the vehicle, Scholtes was inside the house — playing video games and allegedly searching for pornography.
Originally, he told police he had left Parker in the car for no more than 45 minutes because she had fallen asleep and he “didn’t want to wake her.” But detectives determined the little girl had actually been left in the vehicle for as long as three hours.
Her mother, Erika, discovered the horrifying scene when she returned home and found Parker unresponsive. Despite desperate attempts to save her, the child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Banner University Medical Center.
A heartbreaking text message from Erika to her husband that day read:
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?”
Scholtes faced up to 30 years in prison after accepting a plea deal last month. But on November 5, the day he was supposed to surrender to authorities, officers found him dead in Phoenix around 5:22 a.m.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed his death, stating:
“Instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here, we have been informed, and we have confirmed, that the father took his own life last night. This is obviously extraordinarily complicated, and we extend our deepest sympathies to all the loved ones who have suffered the loss of this beautiful baby girl — and now, another loss to his family.”