Dad who left 2-year-old daughter to die in hot car while he played video games dies

A US man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after leaving his two-year-old daughter in a car outside the family home during sweltering conditions has died only weeks ahead of his sentencing. Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found lifeless in his home on Wednesday, November 5. He was due to turn himself by the end of that day after missing a court hearing, KOLD reports.

Scholtes left his daughter, Parker, in the vehicle, which was parked in the driveway of the family home in Marana, Arizona on July 9 last year, according to authorities. Officials said security footage from homes nearby showed she had been left alone there for about three hours, as per NBC News.

That day, summer temperatures peaked around 109F (47C), 7 News reported.

Authorities had accused Scholtes, who was unemployed, of lying about how long Parker had been left in the car, and claimed he got distracted while he was playing video games.

He was also accused of briefly searching for pornography on his games console during this period.

However, an order was issued by the judge ruling that this information could not be presented at trial.

After his wife, a doctor, came home and Parker was found unresponsive in the vehicle, the toddler was rushed to hospital but later pronounced dead.

Days after her death, Scholtes was arrested. He reportedly told law enforcement that he had left her in the vehicle with the engine and air conditioning on after running some errands as she was asleep in the car seat and he didn't want to wake her.

Authorities alleged that he had acknowledged knowing that the engine would automatically turn off after 30 minutes, at which point the air conditioning would have turned off, as per People.

Scholtes' other two daughters, aged 9 and 5, allegedly told authorities their dad had left all three of his children alone in the vehicle regularly.

They claimed "he got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away" when Parker was in the vehicle, according to the interim complaint, as per KOLD.

On October 22, Scholtes accepted a deal to plead guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse. The Pima County Attorney's Office had previously said under the terms of the deal Scholtes would face between 20 and 30 years in prison without the possibility of early release.

He had been scheduled for sentencing on Friday, November 21.

Phoenix police said his death is being investigated as a suicide.

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