A father has been charged with murder after leaving his two-year-old daughter in the back of a hot car in 42C temperatures.
Parker Scholtes was found unconscious in her father’s car outside her home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona, on Tuesday when her mother arrived.
Police initially said she was believed to have been left there for less than an hour, but later discovered from security footage that approximately three hours had passed.
Her father, Chris Scholtes, 37, told police that when they got home the girl was asleep in the back seat and he didn’t want to wake her.
“He left the vehicle running in the driveway with the air conditioning on and the child inside,” police said.
Parker Scholtes, 2, died in a hot car in front of her home after she was left there for allegedly three hours on a 109°F day.
‘Christopher told detectives he did not want to wake his daughter so she could continue sleeping in the vehicle. Christopher then entered the residence.’
Parker’s mother, Erika Scholtes, 35, returned home to find her daughter unconscious in the car, at which point 911 was called around 4 p.m.
Erika performed CPR on Parker until paramedics arrived and rushed her to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, where Erika worked as an anesthesiologist.
“CPR efforts were performed and the child was immediately taken to hospital. Sadly, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital,” police said.
On Friday morning, police charged Scholtes with second-degree murder and child abuse and booked him into the Pima County Adult Detention Center.
“Marana Police detectives received a search warrant the night of the incident and conducted a thorough investigation,” they said.
‘During the investigation, detectives obtained surveillance video from nearby residences and determined that the child had been in the vehicle for approximately three hours.
‘This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unsupervised in vehicles.
‘The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, which can lead to fatal outcomes within minutes.’
Police were outside the home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona, on Tuesday night as they investigated the scene.
Parker was born in late October 2021 and within weeks took his first trip to Disneyland with his parents and two older sisters.
Chris posted adorable photos of the little girl online, including one his wife took in February of this year, which shows him sleeping while cuddling with the little girl.
“This is what I call a father’s comfort,” the father, who also coached his daughter’s softball team, wrote alongside the photo.
Another photo showed a drawing she made with crayons, titled “artist in trouble,” and another with her dressed up.
“He is a menace to society, with his hat tilted to the side and his ferocious pitbull ready to attack,” Chris wrote.
Chris also shared cute videos of Parker dragging his teddy bear across the floor and helping him put wooden toy blocks into their box.
Parker in a family photo taken in March with his parents and two older sisters.
Erika Scholtes, 35, worked as an anesthesiologist at the same hospital where her daughter was rushed on Tuesday.
Erika and Chris took frequent vacations over the past year and posted about their adventures on social media.
They went skiing in Banff in February with their older daughters, and in March they took a beach vacation in Cancun with the whole family.
The couple also traveled to Europe in June, Seattle in October and Sedona in June of last year, just the two of them.
Marana Police Capt. Tim Brunenkant said many of the details surrounding Parker’s death were still being investigated, including whether it was an accident.
“We don’t know the circumstances, we’re trying to find out. When those temperatures come, especially this week, when they reach 43C, it will be just tragic,” he told reporters.
‘We’re doing the interviews and we’re trying to determine if this was a mistake. Is it an accident? Is that possible? We’ll have to determine that.’
Parker with his mother Erika and two sisters outside their Tucson home on Halloween, just yards from where he died.
Chris posted adorable photos of the little girl online, including one his wife took in February of this year of him sleeping while cuddling with the little one.
Erika and Chris took frequent vacations over the past year.
Brunenkant said it was unclear exactly how long Parker was in the car and how long it was since the car and air conditioning were turned off.
“All we know is that the car was hot. The child was not reacting, it was very hot and it is very tragic,” he said.
“She left the child in the car. The car was running and the air conditioning was on. We are trying to determine how long she was in the house and what time the car may have been turned off or the air conditioning stopped working.”
Brunenkant said Parker’s death was a reminder that a child should never be left alone in a car.
Chris and Erika began dating on October 19, 2012, according to a post Chris made on their 10th anniversary.
Chris returned around 4 p.m. Tuesday to find the car had been turned off and his daughter Parker Scholtes was unresponsive, so he immediately called 911.
Chris posted a photo of his wife in the operating room on International Women’s Day with a post celebrating her achievements.
Police said many of the details surrounding the girl’s death were still being investigated, including whether it was an accident.
“Ten wonderful years with this woman. Can’t wait for the rest!” he wrote.
He posted a photo of his wife in the operating room on International Women’s Day with a post celebrating her achievements.
“This woman is my hero, Erika Ines. She has been an amazing wife and an amazing mother to our family, as well as being a total badass at saving lives and making it all look easy,” she wrote.
“I don’t know where I’d be without her, but I wouldn’t be here. I love you babe, thank you for this wonderful life. There’s no one else I’d rather share it with.”
Chris studied biochemistry at Arizona State University, but it was unclear where he was now working.
He also frequently posted photos of high-performance cars and engines on his Facebook page.
