A two-year-old girl lost her life in a hot car in Arizona, USA, after her father was too “distracted” by playing video games. The disgraced parent is now facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges. Text exchanges with the dad and his wife further exposed the horrific nature of the incident.
According to an interim complaint, the man’s other two children, ages nine and five, said that their father, whose name is Christopher Scholtes, had left all three children alone in the vehicle regularly and stated that “he got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away” when their sister was in the car, KOLD News 13 reported.
Highlights
- A two-year-old girl lost her life in a hot car in Arizona after her father was too distracted by playing video games.
- The father, Christopher Scholtes, is facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges.
- Scholtes' wife texted him, warning not to leave the children in the car; he apologized, but the incident led to their daughter's death.
A PlayStation was reportedly taken by authorities as part of the ongoing investigation, as well as several other electronics. The vehicle, a 2023 Acura MDX, was also taken by detectives from the Marana Police Department.
The interim complaint, which serves as a preliminary legal document filed during the early stages of an investigation, also reportedly showed that Scholtes received text messages from his wife, who has not been identified, while their daughter was being transported to the hospital.
A two-year-old girl lost her life in a hot car in Arizona after her father was too “distracted” by playing video games
Image credits: CNN
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car,” his wife’s text reportedly read. “How many times have I told you.”
“Babe, I’m sorry!” Scholtes responded, to which his wife countered: “We’ve lost her, she was perfect.”
As per KOLD News 13, Scholtes went on to write: “Babe our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”
Additionally, the 37-year-old reportedly told investigators he knew his vehicle had a safety feature that would turn off the engine after 30 minutes.
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
Moreover, Scholtes reportedly said that he knew of his car’s safety feature from a previous experience.
Marana Police officers and the Northwest Fire District responded to Scholtes’ residence on July 9, shortly after 4 pm, for a report of an unresponsive child who had been left in a vehicle, Marana Police Department Chief of Police Jeffrey Pridgett outlined in an official statement.
At the time, Scholtes had told officers that when he had arrived home, his two-year-old was still asleep in the vehicle in her car seat, Pridgett explained.
The alleged offender left his vehicle on and running in the driveway, with the air conditioning on and the child inside, the police department stated.
Christopher Scholtes is now facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
Scholtes told detectives he did not want to wake his daughter up so she could continue sleeping in the vehicle, and he subsequently went inside his home without his toddler.
His wife, who wasn’t at the couple’s residence at first, arrived at a later stage, discovering her daughter inside the car with the air conditioning turned off.
Upon calling 911, the now-grieving mother performed CPR until first responders arrived at the scene. The little girl was then transported to Banner University Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased.
Marana Police detectives obtained video surveillance from nearby residences during a subsequent investigation, which helped them determine that the child had been in the vehicle for approximately three hours, Pridgett detailed in the official statement.
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
Scholtes’ wife then pulled into the family's driveway several hours later at 4:08 p.m., and minutes later, at 4:16 p.m., a call to 911 was made. The temperature at the time of his wife’s call was 109°F (almost 43°C).
As a result, Scholtes was arrested and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center for second-degree murder and child abuse.
“This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles,” Pridgett wrote. “The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal outcomes within minutes.”
Scholtes made his initial court appearance on Friday (July 12), and a not-guilty plea was entered by the judge, KOLD News 13 reported.
“He got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away,” Scholtes' children said
Image credit: Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu
He was later released to pre-trial services. The state had asked for a $1 million bond, but the judge refused to set it that high.
Scholtes’ wife reportedly spoke during his appearance and said she wants him back home with their other children to begin the grieving process. She also said he is not a risk to the community.
Arizona's stark heat and fatal parental misjudgment claimed the life of another child this month.
Image credits: Erika Scholtes
Four-month-old Tanna Rae Wroblewski suffered a heat-related illness while on a boat around 5:10 p.m. on Friday (July 5) during a weekend getaway with her parents, Matthew and Alyssa Wroblewski, on Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Tanna was rushed to Havasu Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
The infant’s family reportedly performed CPR on her until first responders arrived. Unfortunately, the sheriff’s office said that Tanna died a short time later.
Marana Police officers and the Northwest Fire District responded to Scholtes’ residence on July 9
Image credits: Erika Scholtes
Records showed the temperature in the Lake Havasu area at that date and time was 118°F (nearly 48°C).
Sarah Monahan-Estes, a pediatric hospitalist at Mission Children’s Hospital in North Carolina, told WLOS News 13 that she has been seeing heat-related illness among young children more frequently.
“Heat stroke is actually the leading cause of non-crash vehicle-related death in children less than 15 years of age,” the doctor explained.
She added: “A child’s body actually heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body temperature does and a child can have a heat stroke or die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 42°C).”
"This is a tragedy of the worst kind," a reader commented
