Christopher Scholtes of Arizona, who confessed to leaving his 2-year-old daughter to die in a steam car while he was inside the house playing video games, has been found dead, according to reports.
Scholtes was scheduled to appear in court the same day to be remanded in custody and begin serving his prison sentence, but never showed up.
He recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison for the 2023 death of his daughter, who died after being left unattended in a hot car in the family’s driveway.
Authorities said the cause of Scholtes’ death remains under investigation.
His older daughter, who turns 18 this month, filed a lawsuit against him last week, accusing him of severe emotional distress.
A toddler in Arizona has died after being left in a hot car for several hours
A 2-year-old Arizona girl named Parker died on July 9, 2024 after being left strapped in a vehicle for several hours as outside temperatures reportedly reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
Authorities said Parker’s father, Christopher Scholtes, left her in the family car for about three hours while he stayed inside the home playing video games. The vehicle’s engine and air conditioner, which he claimed to have left running, turned off automatically after about 30 minutes, KGUN 9 Tucson reported.
Paramedics from the Marana Police Department and firefighters arrived at the home near Paseo Rancho Acero and Paytons Court, where they found the toddler unresponsive in the back seat. She was pronounced dead a short time later. An autopsy later showed her body temperature reached 108.9 degrees.
Scholtes initially told police he only went inside briefly, but security footage contradicted his account, showing the child was left unattended for hours until his wife returned home.
Body camera footage captured Scholtes pacing and telling officers it was “his worst nightmare.” Investigators later learned from his two other children, ages 5 and 9, that he routinely left them in the car while he played and that on the tragic day he “distracted himself by playing his game and putting food away.”
Scholtes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year and was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.
