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Chilling new details revealed about dad found dead after leaving daughter, 2, to die in hot car while he watched porn
The Arizona father convicted of letting his two-year-old daughter die inside a sweltering car took his own life in a disturbingly parallel fashion - by suffocating in his vehicle just hours before starting a decades-long prison sentence.
Christopher Scholtes, 38, was discovered dead around 5AM on November 5 in the garage of the Phoenix home he shared with his wife, Dr. Erika Scholtes. According to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner, his suspected cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, though it has not been officially confirmed. The car he died in was not the same one in which his daughter, Parker, had lost her life.
Scholtes had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October. He was due to begin serving a sentence of up to 30 years the very day after he ended his life.
Details of his suicide
Back in July 2024, Scholtes left Parker trapped inside the family vehicle for more than three hours while temperatures outside hit a scorching 109 degrees. Instead of tending to his daughter, the father of four stayed inside the house, where he drank beer, watched porn and played video games.
When Parker’s mother arrived home, she found her daughter’s body. Scholtes initially told officers he had only left the child alone for 45 minutes, but also admitted he knew the car’s engine and air conditioner would shut off automatically after 30 minutes. That detail alone suggests he was aware of the fatal danger.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said, “This little girl’s voice was nearly silenced because justice was not served appropriately this morning.”
Decade of disturbing behavior and family turmoil
Scholtes’ oldest daughter, a 17-year-old from a previous marriage, filed a lawsuit shortly before his death. She claimed he had been leaving her alone in hot cars since she was “younger than 7,” accusing him of both neglect and physical abuse.
Her lawsuit also alleged that he falsified a conservatorship to access government assistance in her name, The New York Post reported.
“As a result, Plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, post traumatic stress, and long-term psychological harm,” the suit read.
Investigators were also told by his other children that he often left them in the car while he went inside the house. His own wife had pleaded with him to stop the dangerous behavior after Parker’s death. “I told you to stop leaving them in the car,” she texted him. “How many times have I told you?”
Scholtes responded, “Babe, I’m sorry. Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”
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