Police bodycam footage captures chilling question father asked after his 2-year-old daughter died from being left in hot car

By Asiya Ali

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A heartbroken father asked police officers a haunting question after he left his daughter inside a hot car during the severe Arizona heatwave.

As previously reported, two-year-old Parker Scholtes died on July 9 after her father, Chris Scholtes, 37, left her asleep in a sweltering hot car.

According to the Marana Police Department's press release, the dad left the vehicle running and the air conditioning on as it was 109F that day.

He then discovered his daughter unresponsive after returning to his car after what he claimed was 30 minutes. The engine and air conditioner were also turned off.

Parker's mother, Erika Scholtes, came home from work to find her toddler inside the car with the air conditioning turned off.

"Resuscitation efforts were being done, and the child was immediately transported to the hospital," the department wrote on Facebook. "Unfortunately, the child was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

"MPD Criminal Investigations Unit is on scene to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident," they added.

Police bodycam footage, obtained by Inside Edition, captured the moment officers tried to save the little girl at Scholtes' home.

The distressing video reveals the father holding his head in his hands. “Please baby, please,” he pleaded at one point, later saying: “I can’t believe this” as he spoke on the phone.

When officials asked Scholtes how long Parker had been sleeping, he claimed: "I want to say it was no more than 30, 45 minutes and I don't think the air was off that entire time. I think there was a time in between. I had checked on her last, it was still running, she was still sleeping and then when I went back out the car was off."

First responders then informed him of his daughter's condition, saying: "She's very hot right now. We're going to do everything we can." Scholtes then buried his head in his hands and started tearing up.

At one point in the bodycam, authorities told the dad that his home would be treated as a possible crime scene, to which Scholtes raised his voice and questioned: "So I'm being treated like a murderer?"

Christopher Scholtes is facing charges of second-degree murder and child abuse following the hot car death of his 2-year-old daughter. Credit: Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Three days after the tragedy, police returned to Scholtes' home and arrested him.

According to a report by NBC News, it has been alleged that the father was distracted by video games when he left his daughter in his car, and that she had actually been in the vehicle around three hours - not 30-45 minutes as he'd claimed.

Investigators spoke with his two other children, aged nine and five, and they said Scholtes “had left all three children alone in vehicle regularly," and added: "He got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away," when their sister was in the vehicle.

In addition to this, neighborhood surveillance footage suggested the toddler may have been left for more than three hours, per Daily Record.

Furthermore, court filings show that Scholtes's wife texted him: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you,” after their two-year-old was rushed to the hospital.

He responded, “Babe I’m sorry!” and she texted back: “We’ve lost her, she was perfect." Scholtes replied: “Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can’t be real,” per the complaint.

The father pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges on Thursday (August 8) and remains free.

Featured image credit: Johner Images / Getty