EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: Arizona Dad's 'Chilling' Final Moments Revealed — as 'Porn-Watching' Parent Killed Himself 'in an Eerily Similar Way He Let His Toddler, 2, Die'
An Arizona dad killed himself in a way that echoed how his daughter tragically died.
Nov. 13 2025, Published 9:32 p.m. ET
The Arizona father who "forgot" he left his 2-year-old daughter to bake in a hot car "killed himself in an eerily similar fashion," RadarOnline.com can report.
Christopher Scholtes took his own life just hours before he was expected to report to prison for the little girl's murder.
Carbon Monoxide Death
Christopher Scholtes killed himself just before he was scheduled to report to prison.
Scholtes had accepted a plea deal for the death of his daughter, Parker, who was left strapped in her car seat as temperatures climbed as high as 109-degrees outside.
In a sad ironic twist, the 38-year-old reportedly killed himself in a car as well, with the Maricopa County medical examiner telling the Daily Mail he died of carbon monoxide suffocation in the family's garage.
Family members said the car Scholtes was in when he died was not the same vehicle in which Parker died.
Officials had previously confirmed that the father committed suicide.
"Instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here, we have been informed and we have confirmed that the father took his own life last night," an emotional Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said last week.
Message of Hope for the Survivors
He had accepted a plea deal in his daughter's death.
As the investigation into the suicide continues, Conover took a special moment to address Parker's ten-and-six-year-old siblings.
"I want to (speak) directly for a moment to our little girl's older sisters, whom I have not had the chance to meet," Conover said as she fought back tears. "May you be surrounded by love. May you receive all of the support you deserve and need and then some. May you know and believe that you can survive and thrive."
Conover also tried to assure the sisters that they would be able to heal.
"I have proof there are prosecutors and victim advocates and all kinds of people who work in this building who have been working on cases like this for nearly decades, and they've watched people like you survive and thrive, and are now living here in our community as successful and happy adults."
Distracted by Beer and Porn
Scholtes reportedly killed himself in a car, after his daughter Parker lost her life trapped in a hot vehicle.
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 – something he apparently knew would happen.
Medical examiners said temperatures in the 2003 Acura climbed as high as 109 degrees over the three hours Parker was trapped inside.
It Wasn't the First Time He Forgot a Child
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Pima County Attorney Laura Conover tried to offer a message of hope.
This disturbingly wasn't the first time he left a child alone in a baking 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.
While his 17-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.
