Arizona Dad Who Left Toddler, 2, to Die In Boiling Hot Car Found Dead — On the Day He Was Set To Be Thrown Behind Bars For Decades

The Arizona father who recently pled guilty to charges he was "distracted" by video games and online porn while his 2-year-old daughter baked to death inside his hot car has died, RadarOnline.com can report.

Christopher Scholtes was listed as "deceased" by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday, November 5, the same day he was to report to prison. Phoenix police are investigating his death as a suicide.

Scholtes was supposed to appear for a hearing in Pima County Superior Court on Wednesday, November 5 to be taken into custody, as part of his plea agreement, but he never showed up.

Deputy County Attorney Kim Hunley told the Tucson NBC affiliate what happened was "unexpected" and promised more information to come.

Late last month, the 38-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of intentional or knowing child abuse under circumstances likely to cause death or serious physical injury, after the 2024 death of his daughter, who spent more than three hours trapped in his car outside.

Scholtes, who initially pleaded not guilty, was allowed to stay out of custody until Wednesday, before his formal sentencing, which had been scheduled for November 21.

As RadarOnline.com has reported, the father of three left his youngest child, Parker, in the car after running some errands and returning home.

Prosecutors said Scholtes cracked open a few beers he shoplifted earlier in the day, played some video games, and searched for porn on his PlayStation – all while the toddler was still in the car.

Scholtes said he left the car running and the air conditioning on, but after an extended period of time, the vehicle shut off.

Medical examiners said temperatures in the 2003 Acura climbed as high as 109 degrees over the three hours Parker was trapped inside.

Parker’s mother, an anesthesiologist, discovered her daughter in critical condition in the car with the AC off when she came home around 4 p.m.

The toddler was rushed to the same hospital where her mother works, and was declared dead an hour later.

That wasn't the first time he "forgot" one of his kids in a car. In a text message after Parker's incident, his wife, Erika, allegedly texted him in a panic, "I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?"

His two surviving daughters, who were 6 and 9 at the time, reportedly said in interviews that their father had previously left them alone in the car on other occasions as well.

While his 16-year-old daughter from a previous marriage also claimed he frequently left her alone inside cars without food for hours at a time, even to the point where Child Protective Services took her away from him.

Scholtes was previously investigated nine times on allegations of neglecting the now teen, as well as inflicting physical and emotional abuse, between June 2014 and December 2020.

Among the allegations were reports that he would slap the child and spank her, leaving bruises on her body.

In one instance, Scholtes allegedly "slapped the child, causing them to lose their breath," and left the child to "manage their diabetes without parental oversight."

Other reports detailed accusations of verbal abuse, including using derogatory names. A report also claimed Scholtes "yells at the child excessively and tells the child things to break them mentally, such as calling them by foul names and referring to them as 'a mistake.'"

However, in every one of the cases, the allegations were eventually deemed unsubstantiated, as there was not enough evidence to support them.