A heartbreaking case has emerged from Arizona where a two-year-old girl lost her life after being left alone in a scorching hot car for nearly three and a half hours while her father played video games inside their air-conditioned home.
The Tragic Discovery
Parker Scholtes was found unconscious in the family's 2023 Acura MDX by her mother Erika when she returned home from work on that fateful day in July. The 37-year-old anesthesiologist made the devastating discovery after her husband Christopher had forgotten their daughter was still in the vehicle.
Marana Police Department has released disturbing new evidence showing tiny handprints covering the inside of the car window where Parker made desperate attempts to escape. The handprints were found just inches from where the toddler was strapped into her forward-facing car seat.
Father's Distractions Prove Fatal
Court documents revealed that Christopher Scholtes had brought Parker home while she was asleep in the back of their SUV. He initially intended to let her sleep for what he thought would be an additional 30 minutes in the vehicle.
However, the 38-year-old father of four became distracted by video games and pornography inside their comfortable, air-conditioned home. He completely forgot about his daughter as temperatures inside the parked car soared to dangerous levels.
Police testing confirmed that the surface temperature of Parker's car seat reached a staggering 149.1F (65C), while the outside temperature in Marana, Arizona, was approximately 43C. The vehicle was parked facing west, absorbing the full force of the scorching sun.
Investigation and Tragic Outcome
When officers arrived at the family home, Christopher Scholtes - wearing a backwards Vans cap, lip ring, and flip-flops - claimed he had left the engine running with air conditioning on. However, police testing confirmed the engine automatically shut off after about 20 minutes due to vehicle safety features.
The investigation revealed that Parker had managed to scramble from her car seat to the rear driver's side window, leaving multiple handprints as she tried to escape. On the floor below her feet, investigators found an iPad with a pink case and two tiny child-sized pink sandals.
Christopher Scholtes was charged with murder and faced between 20 to 30 years in prison. However, in a tragic turn of events, the father ended his own life in jail during November, just before his scheduled sentencing.
Despite Christopher's death, Marana Police Department decided to release new information about the case on November 28 to highlight the dangers of leaving children in vehicles during hot weather.
