Arizona father allegedly played video games while toddler died in hot car as police release bodycam footage

Shocking police body cam footage captured the heartbreaking moment first responders tried desperately to save the unresponsive child.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, was seen in the video holding his head in anguish and crying out to officers before collapsing to his knees. The footage, obtained by Inside Edition, shows Scholtes in visible distress as he pleads, "Please baby, please... I can't believe this. Oh my god." Scholtes had reportedly been playing video games when his daughter, Parker, was left in the car.

Scholtes was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder, but a grand jury has since elevated the charge to first-degree murder. Scholtes pleaded not guilty to the charges during a court appearance on Thursday (August 8).

The tragic incident occurred on July 6, when Scholtes left Parker in the car outside their home in Marana, Arizona, as temperatures soared to 42.7 degree Celcius. According to police, Scholtes’ other children, aged five and nine, told investigators that their father had been playing PlayStation that afternoon. Neighbourhood surveillance footage later revealed that Parker had been in the car for more than three hours.

Scholtes initially claimed that he had left the car running with the air conditioning on because Parker was asleep and he didn’t want to wake her. However, police allege that he became distracted by his video game and putting away food, leading to the fatal oversight.

According to police, Scholtes arrived home around 12.50pm, although he told officers he had arrived at 2.30pm. Parker was discovered unresponsive by her mother, Dr Erika Scholtes, when she returned home from work around 4pm.

The escalation of charges from second-degree to first-degree murder indicates that prosecutors believe Scholtes' actions were intentional. While second-degree murder typically involves reckless behaviour leading to death, first-degree murder requires premeditation and intent.

During his court appearance on Thursday, Scholtes appeared visibly distraught, hanging his head in shame but remaining largely silent. He only spoke briefly and declined to comment further to reporters after the hearing.

Scholtes' children reportedly informed police that their father would often leave them in the car with the air conditioning running, despite knowing that the vehicle automatically shut off after 30 minutes. On the day of the tragedy, Scholtes reportedly forgot that Parker was still in the car after being asked by his wife where their daughter was.

After realising his mistake, Scholtes rushed to find Parker, who was then taken to Banner University Medical Center Tucson, where Erika works as an anaesthesiologist. Tragically, Parker was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Text messages between Christopher and Erika at the time of the incident reveal Erika berating her husband for leaving their children in the car, saying, "I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?"

Scholtes responded, "Babe, I'm sorry!" Erika's response was heartbreaking: "We've lost her. She was perfect." Scholtes later texted, "Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby. This can’t be real."

If convicted of first-degree murder, Scholtes faces a life sentence. While the death penalty is an option under Arizona law, local news outlet KGUN9 reports that the Pima County Attorney’s office typically does not pursue it.

Scholtes and Erika had recently celebrated their 10th anniversary and had taken several family holidays in the year leading up to Parker's death. Scholtes had frequently shared photos of Parker online, including a touching image of himself sleeping while snuggling with his daughter, captioned "A Father's Comfort."

This marks the second tragedy of its kind in Arizona in recent months. In June, three-year-old Charlotte Jones died after being left in the backseat of her father’s car. His father, Scott, followed the usual drop-off routine, driving both Charlotte and her sister to school. However, upon returning home, Scott tragically forgot that Charlotte, who hadn't been dropped off, was still in the backseat.

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Scott logged on to work in his home office in Arizona, where the temperature had reached 36 degree Celsius, unaware that his daughter was still in the car. It wasn't until his wife, Angela, called to check on them four hours later that his mistake dawned on him.