Ariz. dad arrested after daughter dies from being left in hot car for several hours during heat wave

MARANA, Ariz. (TCN) -- A 37-year-old man was arrested for leaving his sleeping toddler daughter in a car for several hours, leading to her death.

According to a statement, on July 9 at approximately 4 p.m., the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire Department received a call about an unresponsive child who had been in a car on the 5100 block of West Paytons Court. The child’s father, Christopher Scholtes, told police his daughter was napping in her car seat when they got home and he did not want to wake her up "so she could continue sleeping in the vehicle."

Scholtes went inside his home and said he left the car running with the air conditioning on while his daughter remained in the car. The girl’s mother arrived home later and found the toddler in the vehicle. Police said the car wasn’t running and the air conditioning had shut off. The mother performed CPR on her daughter until first responders arrived at the scene.

Medics transported the girl to Banner University Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased.

Marana Police investigators obtained video footage from nearby homes and learned the child had been alone in the vehicle for about three hours. Scholtes was arrested July 12 on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse.

The girl’s death occurred amid an "extremely dangerous heat wave" across the Southwestern United States. According to court documents cited by KOLD-TV, it was 109 degrees outside when the mother called 911. The car was also reportedly parked in the sun.

Scholtes' children told investigators their father frequently left them in the car. On the day his daughter died, Scholtes allegedly "got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away."

He reportedly told police he normally left his car in the garage, but there was some exercise equipment blocking his space.

According to KOLD, Scholtes was allegedly aware that his car’s engine shuts off after 30 minutes.

While en route to the hospital, Scholtes' wife reportedly texted him, "I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?"

Scholtes apologized, and the wife said, "We’ve lost her, she was perfect."

KOLD reports Scholtes wrote, "Babe our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real."

Scholtes appeared in court Friday, July 12, and pleaded not guilty.