Father Charged with Murder After Leaving 2-Year-Old in Car During Triple-Digit Heat
An Arizona man is facing murder and child abuse charges in connection with the death of his 2-year-old daughter, who died while sitting in a hot car.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, faces a suspicion of second-degree murder charge and child abuse, according to KGUN-TV.
The incident took place on July 9, when temperatures around Marana, Arizona (near Tucson), topped 110 degrees amid an Excessive Heat Warning, according to KPHO-TV.
Scholtes was arrested on Friday.
Scholtes told police he had been running errands and when he returned home, the 2-year-old girl was asleep in her car seat so he left her there to sleep, according to a news release from Marana Police.
The vehicle was left running with the air conditioning on, he told police.
When the girl’s mother came home, she discovered the girl in the vehicle, which was not running. The air conditioning was also off.
The child was taken to Banner University Medical Center but was pronounced dead.
Court documents said that although Scholtes initially indicated to police the girl was in the car for about an hour, surveillance video from nearby homes told a different story, according to Tucson.com.
Video shows that Scholtes arrived at his house at about 12:50 p.m.
Scholtes told police he arrived at about 2:45 p.m., court documents said.
Scholtes told police he had left the girl in the car before with the car running and the air conditioning on.
He said that if the car gets warm or the air conditioning shuts off, he gets an alert on his phone, but did not get one on Tuesday, according to court documents.
The girl’s mother arrived home at about 4 p.m.
She asked about the girl, which was when she was found in the car. The girl’s mother, who is a doctor, tried to administer life-saving measures after the girl was taken from the car, court documents said.
The child was pronounced dead at 4:58 p.m.
Marana police said the case is a warning to all parents.
“This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal outcomes within minutes,” police said in their news release.
“We urge all parents and caregivers to remain vigilant and take every precaution to ensure the safety of their children. The Marana Police Department and our entire community feel this heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragic incident,” the police news release said.
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