Ariz. Dad Who Searched for Porn While Daughter Died in Hot Car Was Found Dead by Suicide in Car

New information has come to light about an Arizona father who died by suicide shortly after pleading guilty to murdering his 2-year-old daughter following her death in a hot car.

Christopher Scholtes, 38, who had been convicted of murdering his daughter, Parker Scholtes, was found dead inside a vehicle parked in a closed garage, according to Sgt. Brian Bower of the Phoenix Police Department. Authorities are investigating the case as a suicide.

Scholtes died on the same day he was scheduled to report to prison ahead of his sentencing hearing. Officers discovered his body after responding to a call at 5:22 a.m., just hours before he was expected to appear in Pima County Court.

Only weeks earlier, Scholtes had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Parker’s death, entering the plea days before his criminal trial was set to begin. Under a deal with prosecutors, he faced a prison term of 20 to 30 years. If convicted at trial, he could have faced life in prison or the death penalty.

Out on bail before sentencing, Scholtes was allowed to spend two more weeks at home with his physician wife and their surviving daughters before reporting to prison.

His death adds another layer of tragedy for the family, who were already grieving Parker, who died on July 9, 2024, after being left in a car outside the family’s home. That morning, Scholtes had taken Parker along while running errands and shopping. After returning home, he brought in the groceries, then went inside to play video games and, at one point, searched for pornography.

Outside, temperatures climbed to around 109 degrees. Parker remained strapped in her car seat for more than three hours until her mother came home from work and discovered her in the vehicle.

Investigators later learned this was not the first time Scholtes had left children in a car. His surviving daughters mentioned previous incidents during interviews with police, and a text exchange between Scholtes and his wife on the day of Parker’s death also referenced prior warnings.

Body camera footage shows Scholtes acknowledging to responding officers that he had left Parker in the car. He claimed he initially left her there with the air conditioning running because she was asleep and said he later forgot about her after becoming distracted, according to the criminal complaint.

After his arrest, Scholtes posted bail and, in a decision that drew scrutiny, was granted permission by a judge to travel out of state for a family vacation in Hawaii.

Shortly before his death, Scholtes also faced a separate civil case brought by his 17-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, who accused him of neglect and abuse.

According to an Arizona Department of Child Safety (ADCS) report, the teen made nine complaints between 2014 and 2020 alleging physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. The agency stated that none of those allegations were substantiated, and after the ninth report in 2020, the teen moved to live with her mother.

In July 2025, the daughter also accused Scholtes of sexual abuse, alleging the incident occurred in 2020. The ADCS report notes that the investigation led to the removal of one child from Scholtes’s home, while investigators determined that the other siblings were not in immediate danger and allowed them to remain. The case remains open, and the department continues to provide services to the child, according to the report.

Following Scholtes’s death, his daughter chose to withdraw her lawsuit. Her former guardian, Lindsay Eisenberg, who had filed the case on her behalf, said the teen asked that the lawsuit be dismissed.

According to Eisenberg, the teen said she wants to move on with her life and find peace, explaining that the intense public attention surrounding her family has been overwhelming and that she hopes to step away from the spotlight and focus on her future.