Arizona: PlayStation-occupied father forgets 2-year-old in hot car; she dies
Christopher Scholtes, a 37-year-old father from Arizona, United States, has been charged with murder and child endangerment following the death of his two-year-old daughter, Parker Scholtes. Parker was reportedly left in a hot car for over three hours while Scholtes was distracted by video games on PlayStation. Scholtes claimed he left Parker in the car for only half an hour after shopping because he didn't want to wake her, but new court records and surveillance footage tell a different story.
Surveillance footage contradicts father's claims
Surveillance footage reveals that Scholtes arrived home shortly after 12:30pm, leaving Parker in the car under 109-degree weather for more than three hours. This contradicts his claim of leaving her in his 2023 Acura MDX for only 30 minutes. The toddler was discovered by her mother, Erika Scholtes, in the car when she returned from work. "I told you to stop leaving them in the car," the anesthesiologist reprimanded her husband via text message after the July 9 tragedy.
Father's negligence revealed, mother pleads for leniency
The couple's other children informed police that Scholtes regularly left all three siblings alone in the car while he was inside the house. The father told police he left the air conditioner on in the car for Parker, but admitted he knew it would go off automatically after 30 minutes. In court, Erika pleaded with the judge to release her husband pending trial, referring to the incident as "a big mistake." The judge set bail at a $25,000 bond.
