Pima County dad charged with murder after toddler in hot car for 3 hours died

Authorities have charged a father with murder in connection with the death of his toddler who was found in a parked vehicle for several hours near a home in Tucson on Tuesday.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, of Oro Valley, was charged with second-degree murder and child abuse in connection with the death of his 2-year-old daughter, according to a Friday morning news release from Marana police.

Shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, officers and firefighters responded to a report of an unresponsive child left in a vehicle at a home near Avenida Tierra Alta and North Hartman Lane, according to police. Scholtes reportedly left the child in the air-conditioned vehicle while it was still running, telling detectives he did not want to wake her when he went inside the home.

The mother was not home at the time, but upon her return, she found the child in the vehicle, which was no longer running and without the air conditioning on, according to police. She performed CPR until first responders arrived and attempted life-saving measures. The girl was then taken to Banner University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Detectives working on a search warrant, obtained video surveillance from nearby homes and determined the toddler had been in the vehicle for approximately three hours, police said.

Scholtes was arrested and booked Friday morning at the Pima County Adult Detention Center, according to police.

"This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal outcomes within minutes," read a statement from police. "We urge all parents and caregivers to remain vigilant and take every precaution to ensure the safety of their children."