A Marana father is facing charges of second-degree murder and child abuse after his 2-year-old daughter died in hot a car earlier this month.
Christopher Scholtes told Marana police the girl was sleeping when he arrived home on July 9, so he intentionally left her in the car with the air conditioner running. But by the time he returned to the car, the engine had shut off and the girl was unresponsive.
"During the investigation, we obtained video surveillance from nearby residences and were able to determine that the child had been left in the vehicle for approximately three hours," said Molly Metz, with the Marana Police Department.
The outside temperature at the time of the incident was 109 degrees.
Scholtes was arrested July 12. He has pleaded not guilty.
The child, Parker Scholtes, is one of at least three children in Arizona who have died this month following heat-related emergencies.
-
An Arizona father who was facing 20 to 30 years in prison for his daughter’s death in a hot car was found dead Wednesday after failing to appear for a Pima County court hearing. -
Phoenix is among 33 cities across the globe joining a collaboration on extreme heat. The new Cool Cities Accelerator was announced at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio De Janeiro this week. -
The 2025 3rd quarter for Pinnacle West Capital Corp was $18 million higher than the 3rd quarter of 2024. But net income is down over the last 9 months compared to same time last year. -
An Arizona father is facing 20 to 30 years in prison for the death of his 2-year-old daughter last year. The toddler was left for several hours in a hot car. -
Nearly 1,000 workers in this country died from heat exposure between 1992 and 2002, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Roxana Chicas is trying to prevent more outdoor workers from dying because of the heat.
