In another tragic incident of a parent leaving a child in a hot car, a 2-year-old girl died July 9, after her father, Christopher Scholtes, left her alone in the car in the Arizona summer heat. According to the Marana, Arizona, police department, he was then arrested and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.
Now, according to the New York Post, shocking details have emerged alleging that it was a pattern for him to leave his children in the car. And on the day his daughter died, he was reportedly inside the house playing video games.
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'I told you to stop leaving them in the car.'
In addition to his 2-year-old daughter who died, Christopher Scholtes and his wife Erika Scholtes, have a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old. According to court documents, per KOLD News 13, the children claimed that their father would regularly leave them in the car alone.
Erika Scholtes seemed to substantiate that claim in a text she reportedly sent her husband after their daughter's death. "I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you," she texted, according to News 13.
'He got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away.'
According to a press release from the Marana, Arizona, police, Christopher initially told investigators that his daughter was asleep when he'd arrived home so he left her in the car with the air conditioning running while he went inside.
Once inside, his older children claim that "he got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away." Investigators have taken a PlayStation into evidence, per News 13.
The outlet reported that Christopher Scholtes claimed to investigators that he'd gotten home around 2 p.m., and that his daughter was discovered in the car when Erika Scholtes returned home around 4 p.m. However, per News 13, security footage showed him arriving home at 1 p.m., meaning that his daughter was in the car for three hours. According to News 13, Christopher knew his car had a 30-minute engine shutoff feature.
So even if he did leave the air conditioner on when he first returned home, his daughter would have been without AC for around two and a half hours. He'd also parked in the direct sun, per KPLC 7 News.
On the day she died, AccuWeather reported that the high was 111 degrees in Marana.
'I killed our baby.'
Christopher Scholtes has entered a "not guilty" plea, but KPLC 7 News reported that, per court documents, he apologized for his alleged actions via text. "Babe, I'm sorry!" he wrote, to which Erika Scholtes responded, "We've lost her, she was perfect."
Christopher Scholtes then allegedly texted, "Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can't be real."
His wife pleaded for his release.
At a recent court hearing, Erika Scholtes asked the judge to release her husband while his case is pending, according to the New York Post.
"I'm just asking if you can allow him to come home to us so that we can all start the grieving process so he can bury our daughter with us this upcoming week and that we can go through this whole process together as a family," she said.
She added that she considered the incident a "big mistake" and wanted her other children to be able to see their father. "He's an amazing father and a pillar of the community," she said, per News 4 Tucson.
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He faces life in prison.
News 4 reported that the judge took into account Christopher Scholtes' lack of criminal history and community ties and granted bail on the condition that he does not get unsupervised time with his children.
According to KGUN 9, if Christopher Scholtes is found guilty of the second-degree murder charge, he could face 25 years to life in prison. His next court date is August 1.
