MARANA, AZ — The Marana man who pleaded guilty in the hot car death of his 2-year-old daughter has died.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner lists Christopher Scholtes as dead and is one of the cases the office is investigating.
Scholtes was slated to go to prison, but failed to appear at a hearing on Wednesday to take him into custody.
In July of 2024, Marana police were called to a home for a girl in distress. Rescue crews attempted life-saving measures but the girl was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Scholtes moved to Maricopa County from Marana after the incident that left him facing murder charges.
Scholtes accepted a plea deal after initially rejecting it. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The sentence was not to be imposed until later this month, but it would have been between 20 and 30 years in prison with no chance of parole.
Even though he had not been formally sentenced, with prison time a certainty, Scholtes was to appear in court to be taken into custody pending the formal sentencing.
The judge took the bench, then immediately recessed the court. A few minutes later, prosecutors and Scholtes' defense attorney hustled out of an apparent meeting in chambers.
The judge vacated the hearing but affirmed the sentencing hearing set for November 21.
None of the attorneys would explain what happened. A representative of the Pima County Attorney’s Office said to expect a statement later in the day.
Investigators say the day 2-year-old Parker Scholtes died, she spent almost three-and-a-half hours strapped in a car seat in temperatures well over 100 degrees; while her father sat in the living room drinking, playing video games and watching pornography.
Text messages from Scholtes’ wife show her reminding him she’d told him many times to stop leaving their children in the car.
The Maricopa Medical Examiner's office said a report on his death will be available in 90 days.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated that Scholtes had died in custody. It has since been updated, as it is unclear if he was in custody when his death occurred.
