A father has been charged with murder after leaving his two-year-old daughter in the back of a hot car in temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius.
Parker Scholtes was found unconscious in her father’s car outside her home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona, when her mother arrived Tuesday.
Police initially said the toddler was left there for less than an hour, but security footage later revealed it was approximately three hours.
Her father, Chris Scholtes, 37, told police that when he got home, the girl was asleep in the backseat and he didn’t want to wake her.
“He left the vehicle running in the driveway with the air conditioning on and the child inside,” police said.
Parker Scholtes, 2, died in a hot car outside her home after reportedly being left there for three hours on a day with temperatures of 108 degrees Fahrenheit
“Christopher told detectives he didn’t want to wake his daughter so she could sleep in the vehicle. Christopher then went inside.”
Parker’s mother, Erika Scholtes, 35, arrived home to find her daughter unconscious in the car. Around 4 p.m., 911 was called.
Erika performed CPR on Parker until emergency services arrived and rushed her to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, where Erika worked as an anesthesiologist
“Resuscitation was performed and the child was immediately taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, the child was pronounced deceased at the hospital,” police said.
On Friday morning, police charged Scholtes with second-degree murder and child abuse. They booked him into the Pima County Adult Detention Center.
“Marana Police Department detectives obtained a search warrant the evening of the incident and conducted a thorough investigation,” they explained.
During the investigation, detectives collected video footage from nearby homes and determined that the child had been in the vehicle for approximately three hours.
“This incident is a painful reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.
‘The temperature inside a vehicle can rise quickly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal consequences within minutes.’
Police outside the home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona, on Tuesday evening while investigating the crime scene
Parker was born in late October 2021 and within a few weeks went to Disneyland for the first time with her parents and two older sisters.
Chris posted adorable photos of the baby girl online, including one taken by his wife in February of this year where he was sleeping and cuddling with the little girl.
“I call this a father’s comfort,” the father, who also coached his daughter’s softball team, wrote alongside the photo.
Another photo showed a drawing she had made in chalk, captioned “struggling artist,” and another showed her dressed.
“She is a threat to society, her attitude is just as skewed as her owner’s and her aggressive pit bull is ready to attack,” Chris wrote.
Chris also shared cute videos of Parker dragging her teddy bear across the floor and helping him pack wooden toy blocks into the box.
Parker in a family photo taken in March with her parents and two older sisters
Erika Scholtes, 35, worked as an anesthetist at the same hospital where her daughter was rushed to on Tuesday
Erika and Chris went on vacation regularly over the past year and posted about their adventures on social media.
In February they went skiing in Banff with their eldest daughters, and in March they went on a beach holiday to Cancun with the whole family.
The couple also traveled through Europe last June, Seattle in October and Sedona in June, just the two of them.
According to Marana Police Chief Tim Brunenkant, many details about Parker’s death are still under investigation, including whether it was an accident.
“We don’t know the conditions, we’re trying to figure it out. When those temperatures go up, especially this week, when it’s 110. It’s just tragic,” he told reporters.
“We’re doing the interviews and we’re trying to determine if this was a mistake. ‘Is it an accident? Is that possible?’ That’s what we have to determine.”
Parker with her mother Erika and her two sisters in front of their Tucson home on Halloween, just yards from where she died
Chris posted adorable photos of the baby girl online, including one his wife took in February of this year of him sleeping and cuddling with the little girl
Erika and Chris went on holiday regularly last year
According to Brunenkant, it is unclear exactly how long Parker was in the car and how long ago the car and air conditioning were turned off.
“All we know is it was a hot car. The child was unresponsive, it was very hot, and it’s very tragic,” he said.
“He left the child in the car. The car was running, the air conditioning was working. We’re trying to figure out how long he was in the house, at what time the car broke down or the air conditioning stopped working.”
Brunenkant said Parker’s death is a reminder that you should never leave a child alone in the car.
Chris and Erika started dating on October 19, 2012, according to a post Chris made on the occasion of their 10th anniversary.
Chris returned around 4pm on Tuesday to find the car had stalled and his daughter Parker Scholtes unresponsive. He immediately called 911.
Chris posted a photo of his wife in the operating room on International Women’s Day with a message celebrating her achievements
Police said many details about the girl’s death are still being investigated, including whether it was an accident
“Ten amazing years with this woman. Can’t wait for the rest!” he wrote.
On International Women’s Day, he posted a photo of his wife in the operating room, along with a message celebrating her achievements.
“This woman is my hero Erika Ines. She is an amazing wife and incredible mother to our family while being an absolute badass who saves lives and makes it all look effortless,” he wrote.
“I don’t know where I would be without her, but it wouldn’t be here. Love you baby, thank you for this beautiful life. There’s no one else I’d rather share it with.”
Chris studied biochemistry at Arizona State University, but it was unclear where he worked now.
He also regularly posted photos of cars and powerful motorcycles on his Facebook page.