Arizona prosecutors have alleged that a father was drinking beer, playing video games, and watching adult content while his two-year-old daughter tragically died in a hot car on a scorching 109-degree day last summer.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, has entered a plea of not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his daughter, Parker, on July 9, 2024. During a court session in Tucson, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that Scholtes had a history of leaving his children unattended in cars, citing witness accounts and text messages exchanged between him and his wife obtained during the investigation.
According to prosecutors, Scholtes was reportedly so absorbed in his video games and adult content that he left his child unattended in their Marana driveway for over three hours, leading to her tragic demise.
Additionally, prosecutors highlighted text messages indicating a pattern of neglectful behavior by the father, showing instances of leaving his children inside vehicles.
His two daughters informed law enforcement that he had previously left them in cars and often became distracted while playing games or putting away food, as per police reports.
Scholtes admitted to authorities that he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning running for 30 minutes as she had fallen asleep on their way home from shopping. He later realized that the car’s engine automatically shuts off after half an hour. Upon his wife, Erika, a doctor, returning home, she discovered her unconscious baby in the car.
Text messages exchanged between the couple suggest a history of leaving the children in the car on multiple occasions.
Erika expressed her anguish in a message to Scholtes, stating, “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you. We’ve lost her, she was perfect.”
Prosecutors claim that Scholtes confessed to his wife, apologizing for what he described as the tragic act of “killing our baby.”