Arizona father found dead by suicide right before sentencing hearing in toddler’s hot car death

TUCSON, Ariz. (TCN) -- A man who had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his 2-year-old daughter was found dead by apparent suicide the morning he was to turn himself in for sentencing.

A grand jury had returned an indictment against Christopher Scholtes, 38, for first-degree murder based on child abuse that occurred ahead of the child’s death in a hot car, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said at a press conference Nov. 5. Scholtes was scheduled to appear in court that day to turn himself in pending sentencing Nov. 21. 

Instead, Phoenix Police responded to a call at 5:22 a.m. and discovered Scholtes dead at his home from an apparent suicide, People reports. The Phoenix Police Department is conducting an investigation into Scholtes’ death, Conover said. The cause of death and an autopsy are pending.

“We expected to be in court this morning because the father had accepted a plea agreement to second-degree murder, which could have carried as much as 30 years in prison,” Conover said. “But instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here, we have been informed and we have confirmed that the father took his own life last night.”

On July 9, 2024, Scholtes left his daughter Parker asleep in the car and went into his home, where he reportedly watched pornography and shopped online for clothing, according to the Arizona Daily Star. 

The temperature reached 109 degrees that day, and security footage showed that Parker was in the vehicle for about three hours, KPTV reports. 

Scholtes’ wife, Erika, arrived home to discover that Parker was still in the car. First responders took the child to the hospital, but she did not survive.

An autopsy report showed that Parker’s body temperature was 108.9 degrees Fahrenheit and determined her cause of death to be heat exposure. 

Scholtes was arrested on July 12, 2024, and on Aug. 8, 2024, he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. In May 2025, he was allowed to vacation in Maui, Hawaii, with his wife and remaining children, according to KOLD.

On Oct. 22, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of child abuse, according to a statement from the Pima County Attorney’s Office. This deal would have allowed him to serve no more than 30 years in prison for both counts.

Scholtes had a history of neglectful behavior, the Arizona Daily Star reports. Scholtes’ older children told authorities they had also been left inside the car on multiple occasions while their father was distracted with other things, including video games.