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Dad Charged With Murder After Daughter, Two, Dies in Hot Car

Police allege a father played his PlayStation while intentionally leaving his two-year-old daughter in a car, resulting in her death in 109°F heat.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, was arrested on Friday, facing charges of second-degree murder and child abuse following the death of his daughter, Parker Scholtes.

During a search of his residence in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona, last week, authorities seized the gaming console.

According to a criminal complaint, Scholtes informed police that he left his daughter in her car seat in the family’s blue Honda Acura SUV to avoid waking her up.

He stated that he had left Parker alone in the car for approximately 30 minutes after arriving home at 2:30 pm, police alleged.

However, new evidence presented by prosecutors suggests that the child may have been left in the car for three hours under direct sunlight.

Erika Scholtes, Parker’s mother and a doctor at the hospital where her daughter was pronounced dead, arrived home at 4:08 pm. She discovered Parker in the car after asking about her whereabouts, according to police.

As Parker was rushed to the hospital, Erika texted Christopher, expressing frustration: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you?” Later, she added, “We’ve lost her, she was perfect.”

Christopher replied, devastated: “Babe, I’m sorry! How could I do this? I killed our baby; this can’t be real.”

According to the complaint, Scholtes’ other two children, aged nine and five, informed police that their father often left all three children unattended in the vehicle.

They stated that Scholtes became distracted while playing video games and putting away groceries, as Parker remained in the car, police alleged.

Scholtes informed police that he left the car’s air conditioning running but knew it would shut off automatically after about 30 minutes based on previous experience.

Surveillance footage from neighbors’ cameras contradicted Scholtes’ timeline, showing his car arriving home at around 12:53 pm, hours earlier than he claimed, police alleged.

The footage also reportedly showed that Scholtes did not check on Parker until his wife’s arrival prompted him to do so.

Emergency services were alerted at 4:16 pm when the temperature outside was 109°F, and Parker was found unresponsive in the car.

Authorities confiscated a PlayStation and other electronics during their investigation, as reported by KPTV.

During a remote court appearance on Monday, Erika Scholtes, an anesthesiologist, described her daughter’s death as a “big mistake” and requested that her husband be allowed to return home until his next hearing in August.

The judge granted her request, stating that Scholtes could start the grieving process with his family.

“I’m just asking if you can allow him to come home to us so we can all start the grieving process,” Erika said during the hearing. “I want the girls to see their father so that I don’t have to tell them tonight that they’re going to endure another loss.”

The defense highlighted Scholtes’ lack of a criminal record, aside from a DUI charge 15 years ago.