EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Dad Accused of Killing Toddler by Leaving Her in Boiling Hot Car Has History of Abuse Allegations — and Now Faces the Death Penalty
Christopher Scholtes was arrested after leaving his toddler daughter in a hot car to die.
Oct. 17 2025, Published 7:35 p.m. ET
An Arizona father charged with murder after he "forgot" he left his 2-year-old daughter napping in her car seat in sweltering 90-degree heat has a history of child abuse allegations with an older daughter, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Christopher Scholtes was reportedly "distracted" by playing video games and watching porn, as his toddler daughter, Parker, was trapped in his car for over three hours.
Christopher Scholtes faces first-degree murder charges.
Scholtes is scheduled to head to trial later this month on first-degree murder charges. But RadarOnline.com has learned this isn't the first time his parenting has been questioned.
The 38-year-old has faced multiple investigations from Arizona's Department of Child Safety related to a 16-year-old daughter from an earlier marriage.
Scholtes was previously investigated nine times on allegations of neglect, as well as 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."
Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse and Neglect
Scholtes has faced a litany of previous abuse allegations.
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.'"
The girl was said to have been experiencing "suicidal ideation due to their father and stepmother treating them differently than the other children in the home and calling the child names."
However, in every one of the cases, the allegations were eventually deemed unsubstantiated, as there was not enough evidence to support them.
Instead, "the child was assessed as safe in Mr. Scholtes' home," and "the family was provided with information on services available in the community and the case was closed."
Temperatures as High as 109 in the Car
Police bodycam caputed the moment he was confronted about his daughter's death.
Now a new court filing accuses Scholtes of cracking open a few beers he shoplifted earlier in the day, playing video games, and searching for porn on his PlayStation – all while his toddler napped unnoticed in the car.
Scholtes has 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.
'Stop Leaving Them in the Car'
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Scholtes has rejected a plea deal and is due in court in two weeks.
Scholtes has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. He previously turned down a plea deal that would have reduced his charges to second-degree murder, carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years.
Sadly, neglecting his children has been a problem in the past as well.
According to a criminal complaint, the two surviving daughters, who were 6 and 9 at the time, said in interviews that their father had previously left them alone on other occasions, often without food or water for hours at a time.
In a text message after Parker's incident, his distraught wife, Erika, allegedly wrote: "I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?"
