Featured Image Credit: Law & Crime Network/YouTube
Topics: US News, Crime, Arizona, Mental Health
Liv Bridge
Topics: US News, Crime, Arizona, Mental Health
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The father who was accused of 'leaving his daughter to die in a hot car' was found dead before his sentencing.
In summer last year, Arizona cops arrested Christopher Scholtes on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his two-year-old daughter, Parker Scholtes.
It is believed the toddler was left unattended for hours in the car on the family's driveway in Marana while temperatures soared to triple digits on July 9, 2024.
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Parker tragically passed away within an hour of being rushed to Banner University Medical Center.
Now, the authorities have confirmed the 38-year-old has appeared to have taken his own life on Tuesday (November 4), the day before he was ordered to prison ahead of his official sentencing later this month.
Here's everything we know about the incident:
On that fateful day in July last year, Christopher's wife, Erika Scholtes, returned home at 4.08pm and found her daughter unresponsive in the car.
The father-of-three told officers he had left Parker in the vehicle after they had returned home from shopping, stating he 'didn't want to wake her'.
He further claimed that he thought the air conditioning had been left running and had only left her in the car for 30 minutes.
However, evidence suggested the youngster had been left in the car for hours in direct sunlight and for as long as three hours.
The mom also reportedly found the A/C automatically turned off in the vehicle while outside temperatures reached 109°F.
Bodycam footage shows the moment he was arrested which showed the bereaved father dropping to his knees and repeatedly saying 'no'.
Overcome with emotion, he asked cops: "Am I going to be there for my baby's funeral?"
While the youngster was being raced to hospital, it is alleged Erika text her husband: "I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you."
Court documents seen by USA Today revealed Christopher had allegedly told investigators he frequently left all three of his daughters alone in the car.
When Parker died, Erika reportedly sent another message that read: "We've lost her, she was perfect."
It is then believed he replied: "Babe I'm sorry! How could I do this.
"I killed our baby, this can't be real."
On July 6, CCTV footage obtained by the Arizona Daily Star appeared to show Christopher had shoplifted beer at a local convenience store and a grocery store.
It is alleged he drank several of them in a bathroom while Parker was in the car.
One of his oldest daughters allegedly told a cop that her dad 'still drinks too much beer', adding: "He keeps leaving us in the car when my mom told him to stop doing this.
“That’s how he made my baby sister die.”
Prosecutors also claimed Christopher had gone inside to play video games and even searched for pornography for two minutes, though a judge blocked them from raising this if the case had gone to trial.
While he told cops he had returned home at 2.30pm, further footage caught on neighbors' cameras showed his car pulled up at 12.53pm, meaning the youngster had been left in the hot car for more than three hours.
After Parker's tragic death, investigators arrested him on suspicion of causing the death of the toddler.
Cops initially charged the father with second-degree murder and child abuse, but later upped it to first-degree murder, which he pleaded not guilty to on August 8.
The grand jury at the time said it was increased after determining Christopher 'under circumstances likely to produce death or serious physical injury, committed child abuse by intentionally or knowingly, causing a minor under 15 to suffer physical injury' through leaving her 'unattended in the vehicle'.
Yet as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Scholtes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and intentional child abuse on October 22, the county attorney's office confirmed.
He was facing between 20 to 30 years behind bars as a result.
During his arrest, his wife, who works at the hospital where Parker died, could be seen on camera telling him that she loved him and was going to 'take care of everything' before giving him a kiss.
The anesthesiologist stood by her husband to the end, telling the judge that he had made a 'big mistake' while appealing for his release.
"I’m just asking if you can allow him to come home to us so that we can all start the grieving process so he can bury our daughter with us ... and that we can go through this whole process together as a family,” she urged.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said in a video statement that while they were preparing to take Christopher into custody on Wednesday (November 5), they were informed Christopher had died by suicide.
She said: "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.
"But 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 continued: "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."
In May, he was permitted to travel to Hawaii for a family vacation, against the objections of prosecutors.
The attorney added: "This little girl's voice was nearly silenced because justice was not served appropriately this morning, but it has not and will not be silenced due to the hard work of the people who work here at the Pima County Attorney's Office."
Conover also spoke directly to Parker's two surviving sisters, saying: "May you be surrounded by love. May you receive all the support you deserve and need and then some. May you know and believe that you can survive and thrive."
She continued: "And when you look back on this time as the years follow, may you not feel tied down by what happened here, but rather uplifted by your baby sister's wings from above."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.