The Arizona father who was arrested last week and charged with murder after his 2-year-old daughter died after being left in a hot car had been distracted by video games and “regularly” left his kids alone in the car, court documents reveal.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, was arrested July 12 on second-degree murder and child abuse charges by Marana police. Marana is located in Pima County, northwest of Tucson.
Scholtes had arrived home on July 9 and left his daughter, who was sleeping in a car seat in the back, inside with the vehicle on and the air conditioning running, according to police. He told detectives he didn’t want to wake her and left her there so she could continue sleeping.
The little girl was left in the car in the driveway, sitting in direct sunlight, for three hours in scorching 109 degree weather, authorities said.
According to an interim complaint filed by the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Scholtes told detectives he arrived home at 2:30 p.m. the day of her death. However, security videos from adjacent homes showed that his car arrived home at 12:53 p.m., just after his other two children arrived home.
He was seen walking from the car to the front door by himself.
The complaint said that Scholtes knew that he left his daughter in the car, and he also knew that the car and the AC automatically shut off after 30 minutes.
At 4:08 p.m. his wife’s car was seen arriving at the home and the 911 call was made at 4:16 p.m.
Video surveillance “does not show Christopher checking on his vehicle or daughter during this time-frame,” the complaint said.
When his wife arrived home, the mother asked where the 2-year-old was and Scholtes checked the rooms of the home before realizing he had left her in the vehicle, according to the complaint.
He went back to the car, which was not running, and found the 2-year-old “unresponsive in the back seat still strapped her child restraint system,” the filing said.
The mother performed CPR on the child until first responders arrived. The child was taken to a hospital via ambulance, where she was pronounced deceased.
Detectives spoke with Scholtes’ two other children, aged 9 and 5, and they said Scholtes “had left all three children alone in vehicle regularly.”
Further, they said “he got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away” when their sister was in the car.
Local CBS affiliate KOLD reported that a PlayStation was taken by authorities, along with other electronics and a 2023 Acura MDX vehicle, in the investigation.
As his 2-year-old daughter was being transported to the hospital, Scholtes received a text message from his wife that said: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you,” and he responded, “Babe I’m sorry!” according to the complaint.
She texted, “We’ve lost her, she was perfect,” and he said, “Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can’t be real,” per the filing.
Scholtes was described as a lifelong Arizona resident, unemployed, with no history of felony convictions nor prior misdemeanor domestic violence arrests.
The complaint suggested that he not be released on personal recognizance. It’s not immediately clear if Scholtes has an attorney.
He is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 1.
