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.
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