An Arizona father who was accused of murdering his daughter has been found dead on the day he was meant to report to prison.
Christopher Scholtes, 38, was arrested on July 9 2024 when his two-year-old daughter, Parker Scholtes, died after he left her in a hot car at their home in Arizona, US.
Most disturbingly, the father of three was reportedly inside playing video games and allegedly searching for pornography for two minutes, according to prosecutors, although a judge barred them from mentioning this if the case had gone to trial.
The day in which Parker was left in the car was particularly warm, as temperatures soared to 109°F.
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Scholtes claimed that he had only left his daughter in the car for half an hour to 45 minutes when they arrived home, as she was sleeping and he ‘didn’t want to wake her’. However, an investigation by police found that the toddler had been left there for as long as three hours.
Parker was declared dead within an hour after being rushed to the Banner University Medical Center.
Following his arrest, Scholtes' wife and Parker's mother, Erika, requested that the father be allowed to come home so the family could grieve together.
However, according to reports, Scholtes was found dead in a Phoenix home after 5 A.M on November 5, the same day he was due to report to prison ahead of being sentenced. He faced up to 30 years in prison.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover issued a statement when it was confirmed that he had died.
She said: “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."
Conover also extended her condolences to the family, adding: “This is obviously extraordinarily complicated and we extend our deepest sympathies and sorrow to all the loved ones who have suffered the loss of this beautiful baby girl and now another loss to his family.”
According to the New York Post, while Scholtes claimed to police, while being arrested, that he had never done anything like this before, his texts with his wife suggest otherwise.
After the death of their daughter, the mother reportedly texted him: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?”
He responded: “Babe, I’m sorry. Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”
Scholtes' children from a previous marriage also told investigators that he would leave them in the car when they were kids.
One of his older daughters from a previous marriage sued both him and Erika in October, alleging they caused her emotional distress and detailed incidents of being left in cars going back to when she was only seven years old.
The 17-year-old girl’s guardian, Lindsay Eisenberg, said: “The oldest daughter has suffered immensely from Christopher and Erika.”
Gerrard Kaonga