A two-year-old girl tragically died after being left in a hot car for three hours by her father, Christopher Scholtes, who was allegedly “distracted” playing video games inside their home. Scholtes, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder following the incident in Marana, Arizona, where temperatures reached a scorching 42°C.
Police revealed that Scholtes claimed he left his daughter in the car because she was sleeping and didn’t want to wake her after a car journey. However, video footage showed that he left her alone in the vehicle at 12:53 p.m., with the engine and air conditioning running, but knowing they would shut off after 30 minutes. He didn’t check on her during the three hours she was left in the car.
A video published by Inside Edition captures the desperate moments when police tried to save the girl, whose name has not been released. In the footage, Scholtes can be seen holding his head in his hands and dropping to his knees as officers fought to revive his unresponsive daughter. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “Oh my God.”
Scholtes told police he arrived home at 2:30 p.m., but local surveillance footage contradicted his statement, showing he had left her alone much earlier. The girl’s mother returned home at 4:00 p.m. and asked about her daughter, prompting Scholtes to realize she was still in the car. He found her unresponsive, still strapped into her car seat.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office filed a complaint stating that video footage did not show Scholtes checking on his vehicle or daughter during the time she was left alone. The filing also revealed that Scholtes’ two other children, aged nine and five, told police that he had regularly left them alone in the car as well.
Initially charged with second-degree murder, Scholtes’ charge was upgraded to first-degree murder after further investigation, suggesting prosecutors believe the girl’s death may have been intentional. Scholtes pleaded not guilty in court.