Father may have been distracted by PlayStation when toddler died in hot car

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) – A 2-year-old girl died last week after she was left in a vehicle in Arizona.

Now, authorities say her father, 37-year-old Christopher Scholtes, may have been playing a video game when his daughter died.

He was taken into custody Friday and is facing charges of second-degree murder and child abuse.

According to the interim complaint, Scholtes’ other two children, ages 9 and 5, said that their father 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.

A PlayStation was 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 also shows Scholtes received text messages from his wife while their daughter was being taken to the hospital stating: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you?”

He responded, “Babe, I’m sorry!” She then said “We’ve lost her, she was perfect,” and he responded by texting “Babe our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”

Scholtes also told investigators he knew his vehicle had a safety feature that would turn off the engine after 30 minutes. He said he knew from previous experience.

According to court documents, the temperature was 109 degrees at the time of the call.

The vehicle was parked in direct sunlight with the car seat on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was a west-facing window. Scholtes knew that he had left his 2-year-old daughter in the vehicle.

Police said Scholtes told officers he took his daughter on some errands and then went home. She was asleep in her car seat, so he left her in the vehicle while he went inside.

He claimed he left the vehicle running with the AC on. When he went back outside, the car was off and his daughter was unconscious.

Scholtes told investigators he usually parked the vehicle in a garage but didn’t on July 9 because exercise equipment was in the way.

The father made his initial court appearance on Friday, and a not guilty plea was entered.

Scholtes’ wife 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.

Outside of a DUI charge from 15 years ago, Scholtes does not have a criminal history.

Authorities said Scholtes’ timeline of events does not match security video from a neighbor.

Scholtes said they got home around 2 p.m., but security video shows the vehicle arriving at 12:53 p.m. and it didn’t leave again.

Around 4 p.m., Scholtes’ wife came home from work and asked where her daughter was. That is when Scholtes and his wife ran outside to check the vehicle.

They called 911 and then brought their daughter inside the home. They and first responders tried to revive her, but those efforts were not successful.

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