Arizona Father Dies by Suicide Before Sentencing for Daughter’s Death

Christopher Scholtes, a 38-year-old father from Arizona, died by suicide on November 5, 2024, just hours before he was scheduled to report to prison for the death of his two-year-old daughter, Parker. Scholtes had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after leaving Parker in a hot car for over three hours while he engaged in various activities inside their home.

Authorities discovered Scholtes’ body at a residence in Phoenix early on that Wednesday morning. Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed the circumstances surrounding his death, stating, “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.” He faced a potential sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison.

The tragedy began on a scorching July afternoon in 2024, when Parker was found unresponsive in the family’s Marana home driveway, where temperatures had reached a sweltering 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit). Scholtes initially claimed he had left his daughter in the vehicle with the air conditioning running while she slept. However, court records revealed that he had left her unattended for a much longer duration than he admitted.

Scholtes later acknowledged his awareness that the car’s air conditioning would shut off automatically after 30 minutes. While Parker suffered in the heat, her father was reportedly inside watching adult content, playing video games, and drinking beer. This pattern of neglect was not new; Scholtes’ older children from a previous marriage testified that he had a history of leaving them in cars as well.

Parker’s mother, who is an anesthesiologist, arrived home around 16:00 to find their daughter unresponsive. Bodycam footage captured Scholtes’ interactions with responding officers, where he insisted that he had only left Parker outside for “no more than 30, 45 minutes.” Despite the urgency of the situation, Parker was rushed to Banner University Medical Center but was declared dead shortly after arrival.

Following the incident, Scholtes displayed anger and defensiveness during police questioning. In recorded exchanges, he expressed disbelief over his daughter’s death, stating, “So I’m being treated like a murderer?” Text messages exchanged between Scholtes and Parker’s mother later revealed a troubling dynamic, with the mother admonishing him for his repeated neglect.

In the wake of Parker’s death, Scholtes’ older daughter filed a lawsuit against both him and Parker’s mother, accusing them of causing her emotional distress and alleging incidents of being left in cars as a child. Her guardian, Lindsay Eisenberg, emphasized the profound impact of these experiences on the teenager.

The events surrounding Parker’s death and Scholtes’ subsequent suicide have raised significant concerns about parental negligence and the mental health challenges faced by individuals in similar situations. The discussion surrounding suicide remains sensitive and critical, emphasizing the importance of mental health support and intervention.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to a mental health professional or contact a crisis hotline for immediate assistance. In the United States, the National Suicide Hotline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).