KOVA/YouTube/Pima County Sheriff's Department
One of the father's other kids allegedly said she was told to tell investigators her father was a good dad and the child's death was an accident.
Christopher Scholtes, the Arizona father whose 2-year-old daughter died after being left in a hot car for hours, is now being charged with first-degree murder.
The 37-year-old father was initially charged with second-degree murder and child abuse after his 2-year-old daughter died on July 9 from being left in a car in extremely high temperatures, according to a press release shared by the Marana Police Department.
Last week, the charges were upped after a grand jury indicted him on charges of felony first-degree murder and felony child abuse.
"On or about July 9, 2024, Christopher Scholtes, under circumstances likely to produce death or serious physical injury, committed child abuse by intentionally or knowingly, causing [the child], a minor under fifteen, to suffer physical injury ... by leaving [the child] unattended in the vehicle," read the indictment, per Court TV.
What Scholtes Initially Told Authorities
Authorities said Scholtes told them he left his daughter in the car because she was sleeping and he didn't want to wake her, claiming he left the air conditioning on in the vehicle. When Scholtes' wife came home "approximately three hours" later, the car was off and the 2-year-old was unresponsive. After first responders performed "life-saving measures," the toddler was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Scholtes was arrested and charged.
According to an interim complaint obtained by local Tuscon outlets KOLD and KVOA., Scholtes had left all of their children alone in the car on multiple occasions in the past. And when his daughter was sleeping in the hot car, his other children said, "He got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away."
A PlayStation and the vehicle, a 2023 Acura MDX, were taken by the Marana Police Department, KOLD reported.
While their daughter was being taken to the hospital, Scholtes and his wife exchanged text messages about the incident, which were featured in the complaint.
"I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you?" his wife texted, per the document, to which Scholtes replied, "Babe, I'm sorry."
New Allegations from Indictment
KVOA revealed new details gleaned from nearly 200 pages of documents detailing the investigation so far.
Per the outlet, citing the docs, detectives tested Scholtes' vehicle and discovered it turned off after 20 minutes of idling -- though they have no specific information as to whether that happened the day of the child's death.
Investigators also interviewed his other two kids, with one of them allegedly telling a forensic interviewer she was to tell whoever spoke with her that her father was a good dad and this incident was just an accident. She said her dad was distracted playing a video game ... while one of the kids said the car was off when they went inside.
One of the kids also allegedly said they'd been left in the car alone almost 60 times in the past.
Scholtes is due in court for an arraignment on Thursday.
If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
