Trigger Warning: The article contains descriptions of child neglect, child death, and suicide, as well as mentions of sexual content and emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.
A 37-year-old Arizona father forgot his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car while he cracked open a few beers, played video games, and searched for adult content on his PlayStation. The outcome was deadly. The toddler, named Parker, couldn’t survive after being trapped for three hours in her father’s 2003 Acura, where temperatures reached 109°F.
Christopher Scholtes accepted a plea agreement and “pled guilty to one count of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Intentional/Knowing Child Abuse under Circumstances Likely to Cause Death or Serious Physical Injury,” an official told Radar Online.
Police bodycam footage shows 37-year-old Christopher Scholtes moments after learning that his 2-year-old daughter had died after being left in a hot car in 109°F heat pic.twitter.com/cR5V8nEFQF
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) October 20, 2024
The official further said, “Under the terms of the plea, the sentences imposed by the judge are going to run consecutively, and Scholtes will face a sentencing range of 20 to 30 years of ‘flat time.'”
This means he wouldn’t have to spend his life in prison, but wouldn’t be eligible for early release either. Instead, he’ll have to serve his whole sentence, which would be imposed by the court, by the end of the month.
Scholtes, however, didn’t show up for a court hearing on November 5, at which he was scheduled to be taken into custody after pleading guilty.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed his absence while further revealing the shocking reason behind it.
“We expected to be in court this morning, because the father had accepted a plea agreement to second-degree murder, which could have carried as much as 30 years in prison,” Conover said.
She revealed that the father took his own life the night before the court hearing. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Police Department is also investigating his death.
Doctor’s husband who left daughter, 2, to die in hot car while watching adult movies dies day he was due to begin prison sentencehttps://t.co/FcPmg1eetd pic.twitter.com/rSD3crjaMB
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) November 5, 2025
Scholtes had earlier accepted that he was aware that the car engine in his vehicle turns off after 30 minutes, after which the air conditioning stops working. The investigation also revealed that this wasn’t the only time that Scholtes “forgot” one of his kids in his vehicle.
Parker’s mother, who works as an anesthesiologist, found her daughter in critical condition, trapped in the hot vehicle when she came home at around 4 pm. She rushed her child to the hospital where she works, but the child was declared dead an hour later.
The mother had reportedly texted Scholtes in a panic, “I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?”
BREAKING: Christopher Scholtes failed to appear at today’s hearing where he was to be taken into custody. His attorney seemed upset, Deputy County Attorney Kim Hunley was visibly emotional and told me “it was unexpected this morning, we will send a news release.” @KVOA pic.twitter.com/qs0NpVFdNj
— Chorus Nylander KVOA (@CNylanderKVOA) November 5, 2025
The surviving daughters, who were 6 and 9 at the time, revealed that they were left alone in the vehicle on other occasions. His 16-year-old daughter from a previous marriage made a similar accusation. She claimed that her father often left her alone inside his car for hours without food. She mentioned that Child Protective Services eventually stepped in and took her away from him.
