US man, 38, who left his daughter, 2, to die in hot car while he watched porn, takes his own life

A man in Arizona who left his two-year-old daughter to die in a sweltering car while he watched porn was found dead in his own home on Nov. 5.

That was the day his sentence was to be meted out.

Christopher Scholtes, 38, was facing up to 30 years in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Found dead before court appearance

Scholtes was found dead at home by police on the day he was set to appear in court for his sentencing, NBC News reported.

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said at a Nov. 5 press conference that they were informed and had confirmed that Scholtes took his own life the previous night.

Conover also said her office extended their "deepest sympathies" to Scholtes' family for their two losses.

He is survived by his wife and two other children.

Left toddler in car to watch porn

The deceased Scholtes had a habit of leaving his children unattended in the car, New York Post reported.

In July 2024, Scholtes' daughter, Parker, was found unresponsive in a car in the family's driveway.

Outside temperatures were recorded at 109 degrees Fahrenheit, or over 42 degrees Celsius.

The toddler was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, with an autopsy report showing she died of heat exposure, according to The Arizona Republic.

Scholtes initially told police that he'd left his daughter in the car as she was asleep and he did not want to wake her.

He claimed that he left the child inside with the air-conditioning on and the car running, according to a Marana Police Department release.

However, prosecutors later said that Scholtes knew the car and the air-conditioning would switch off automatically after 30 minutes, NBC News reported.

His other daughters reportedly told police that their father regularly left them alone in the car while he played video games.

Watched porn, drank beer

Prosecutors accused Scholtes of being distracted playing video games, watching porn and drinking beer while his daughter was in the sweltering car, New York Post reported.

He found the child dead in the car about three hours later, when Scholtes' wife, a doctor, returned home and asked where the toddler was.

“I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you?” Scholtes' wife texted him after the girl's death, according to court documents.

"Babe, I'm sorry...I killed our baby, this can’t be real,” Scholtes replied.

Scholtes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

national mindline 1771: 1771

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)

Top image from @TrueCrimeUpdat/X