An Arizona man was taken into custody and charged with murder for allegedly leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a scorching car for three hours during a 109-degree heatwave this week, police said on Friday. Christopher Scholtes, 37, was named as a suspect in the death of his toddler, Parker Scholtes, on Tuesday.
He allegedly left his child in a car parked in the driveway of his home in Marana, Arizona, about 22 miles northwest of Tucson. Initially, police believed the child had been left in the car for under an hour, but security footage later revealed it was closer to three hours, leading to Parker's tragic death in the car.
Negligent Father
Chris was arrested early Friday and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse, according to the Marana Police Department. The father told the police that upon arriving home, his daughter was asleep in the back seat of the blue Honda Acura SUV, and he chose not to disturb her.
"He left the vehicle on and running in the driveway, with the air conditioning on and the child inside," police said.
"Christopher told detectives he did not want to wake his daughter up so she could continue sleeping in the vehicle. Christopher then went inside the residence."
Parker's mother, Erika Scholtes, 35, arrived home in her white Tesla and found her daughter unresponsive in the car. She immediately called 911 around 4 pm.
The mother performed CPR on the toddler until emergency responders arrived, who tried life-saving measures without success. The child was then taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Detectives obtained a search warrant to review surveillance footage from a neighbor, revealing that the girl had been inside the car for three hours, according to police.
Killed in Extreme Heat
At some time during those three hours, the car's air-conditioning turned off, causing the temperature inside to rise significantly in the afternoon heat. Marana Police Capt. Tim Brunenkant stated on Wednesday that they were investigating to establish the timing of when the car's air-conditioning system turned off.
Scholtes was detained at the Pima County Adult Detention Center.
"This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles," the Marana PD said in a statement.
"The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal outcomes within minutes."
"The Marana Police Department and our entire community feel this heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragic incident," the statement concluded.
During Tuesday's record-breaking high temperatures reaching 111 degrees, it was reported by ABC15 that a car could heat up to 140 degrees in about 20 minutes and reach 150 degrees in just 40 minutes.
