'I killed our baby': Arizona dad distracted by video games leaves daughter in hot car: Docs
An Arizona man facing a murder charge in the hot car death of his 2-year-old daughter was "distracted by playing video games" and "regularly" left all three of his children alone in a car, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Tuesday.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, was putting groceries away and playing video games after leaving the toddler in the car for hours amid triple-digit temperatures last week at the family's home in Marana, a town about 100 miles south of Phoenix, court documents show. He's now facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges.
Scholtes told police that his daughter was fast asleep in the car by the time he got home from running errands, telling police that he "did not want to wake her up," court documents show. Scholtes left the car running with air conditioning and "wanted her to remain in the vehicle while she slept," he told police, according to the documents.
The A/C automatically shuts off after 30 minutes, something Scholtes knew, the documents say.
Scholtes didn't realize he had forgotten about leaving his daughter in the hot car until after his wife Erika returned home from work a couple hours later, asking where the toddler was. The couple found the 2-year-old unresponsive and "still strapped in her child restraint system."
They began to perform "life-saving measures" on the girl but were ultimately unable to wake her. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Here's what to know.
Child left in vehicle for multiple hours
Scholtes arrived back at home around 12:53 p.m., a minute after his two other children, ages 5 and 9, arrived at the home. He is seen in video surveillance footage walking from the vehicle to the house by himself, according to court documents.
"Video surveillance obtained does not show Christopher checking on his vehicle or daughter" before Erika got home from work a little after 4 p.m., court records say.
"When she asked where the 2-year-old was, he began to check the rooms of the home and then realized he had left her in the vehicle," according to court documents. A 911 call was placed minutes later.
"The reported temperature was 109 degrees at the time of the call ... Christopher knew that he had left his 2-year-old daughter in the vehicle," court documents state.
No attorney was listed for Scholtes in court records and his number is unlisted. USA TODAY left a message at a number listed for his wife.
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While the 2-year-old was being transported to the hospital, Scholtes received multiple text messages from Erika, saying that she had reminded him multiple times to "stop leaving them in the car."
Scholtes apologized, writing: "Babe I'm sorry! ... Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can't be real."
Multiple electronics, including a PlayStation, were seized by authorities as part of the ongoing investigation, according to reporting by an ABC affiliate. Scholtes' 2023 Acura MDX was also taken by Marana Police Department detectives, the outlet reported.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Thursday, Aug. 1, which is when official charges will be announced, according to Pima County Attorney's Office spokeswoman Shawndrea Thomas.