Tucson, AZ – A 38-year-old Arizona father has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse after leaving his 2-year-old daughter to die in a sweltering car while he played video games and searched the internet inside his home. Prosecutors say the child, Parker Scholtes, died on July 9, 2024, as temperatures outside reached 109 degrees.
The Incident: Child Left in Hot Car for Hours
According to the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Christopher Scholtes returned home around midday and left his daughter, Parker, sleeping in the family’s 2023 Acura MDX parked outside their Tucson residence. He later admitted he didn’t want to wake her and claimed he left the air conditioning on.
Investigators, however, said surveillance footage contradicted his account. Scholtes’ vehicle was seen arriving home at 12:53 p.m., nearly 20 minutes later than he originally claimed, and there was no evidence that the car’s engine or AC was running for long.
Instead of checking on his daughter, Scholtes spent hours playing PlayStation, eating, and browsing the internet, prosecutors said. Between 2:02 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., he reportedly searched Nordstrom for men’s clothing and viewed pornography online.
The girl’s mother, Dr. Erika Scholtes, returned home around 4 p.m. to find the vehicle turned off and the toddler unresponsive inside. Emergency responders rushed Parker to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 5 p.m.
Investigation and Evidence of Neglect
Court records revealed disturbing details of habitual neglect by Scholtes. Prosecutors said he frequently left his children in the car unattended.
In a text exchange uncovered during the investigation, Erika had repeatedly warned her husband about this behavior.
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you,” she wrote as she was driving Parker to the hospital. “We’ve lost her. She was perfect.”
Additional text messages from earlier in the year showed that Erika had confronted Scholtes about drinking and driving with their children, and even about speeding with “alcohol in [his] system.”
On March 11, she texted:
“You haven’t shown me you can stop putting the girls in danger or not treat me badly. Even yesterday, you drove home drunk with two minors. You drink to excess every time. You can never have just one.”
Scholtes reportedly replied, “At least this one [alcohol] is legal, right?” before admitting to being “a piece of s— addict.”
Investigators said Scholtes had stopped at two convenience stores before Parker’s death, where he shoplifted beer cans and drank in a restroom before driving home.
Court Proceedings and Plea Agreement
As part of a plea deal with the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Scholtes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and intentional or knowing child abuse under circumstances likely to cause death.
The plea stipulates that the sentences will run consecutively, meaning Scholtes will serve between 20 and 30 years of “flat time” in the Arizona Department of Corrections — with no chance of early release or parole.
Prosecutors said Scholtes previously rejected an earlier plea offer that carried a potential 10 to 25-year sentence, opting instead to go to trial. However, following the mounting evidence against him, he later accepted the harsher agreement.
Judge Kimberly Ortiz is expected to formally sentence Scholtes following a hearing later this year.
Reactions and Family Testimony
At an earlier bond hearing, Dr. Erika Scholtes spoke in defense of her husband, calling the incident “a mistake” that did not represent his character. But prosecutors argued that the evidence pointed to a pattern of reckless and dangerous behavior, not a single moment of distraction.
Officials said the temperature inside the car likely exceeded 130 degrees, a lethal environment for a child trapped inside for hours.
“This was not a momentary lapse in judgment — it was a deadly combination of neglect, substance abuse, and irresponsibility,” a prosecutor told reporters.
Background and Context
According to the National Safety Council, more than 30 children die each year in the United States from being left in hot vehicles, often due to carelessness or distraction. Experts warn that even on mild days, interior car temperatures can climb 20 degrees in 10 minutes, posing fatal risks to children.
The case of Parker Scholtes highlights the ongoing concern over parental negligence, substance abuse, and the dangers of distracted behavior in extreme heat — issues that Arizona law enforcement say they confront every summer.
Conclusion
With his guilty plea, Christopher Scholtes now faces up to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say the case serves as a stark reminder that leaving a child unattended in a vehicle — even for minutes — can have fatal consequences.
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