The teenage daughter of Christopher Scholtes reportedly said she wasn’t surprised her father took his own life.
The 38-year-old Arizona father was found lifeless on the day he was meant to report to prison ahead of his sentencing.
He was facing charges over leaving his 2-year-old daughter, Parker, in a boiling hot car while he played video games and watched adult videos.
The teenage daughter of Christopher Scholtes said she wasn’t surprised her father took his own life, reports said
Image credits: News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV
Trigger warning: This article contains details of self-harm and loss of life under tragic circumstances
Christopher was found unresponsive in his home in Marana, a suburb of Tucson, just after 5 a.m. Wednesday, November 5.
He was expected to surrender the same day in Pima County Superior Court, and his sentencing was scheduled for November 21.
Image credits: COURT TV
The father hadn’t spent a single day behind bars for the tragic passing of his two-year-old daughter, Parker, who was found unconscious in his car on July 9, 2024.
A judge even allowed him to go on a family vacation to Hawaii this year.
The father was found lifeless on the very same day he was expected to surrender to authorities
Image credits: COURT TV
After Christopher’s passing, his teenage daughter from a previous marriage said she wasn’t surprised he took his own life, according to Lindsay Eisenberg, who previously served as the teen’s guardian.
The 17-year-old is now in the custody of Child Protective Services, and Lindsay had helped her file a lawsuit against Christopher and his wife, Erika Scholtes, the mother of the deceased toddler, for allegedly causing her emotional distress.
Image credits: 12 News
Lindsay said she was the first person to break the news to their teenage daughter, who apparently said she had a feeling it was coming.
While she felt some relief, she admitted to feeling sad as well to know her father was no longer alive, Lindsay added.
Image credits: 12 News
The former guardian also said the teen, upon turning 18, has plans to apply for custody of the two other daughters Christopher shared with Erika.
While speaking to investigators about the case related to Parker’s passing, the teen also detailed accounts of being left in a car alone by her father, starting from when she was 7 years old.
“Instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here … the father took his own life last night,” Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said in a statement
On the day Parker was found unresponsive in a hot car, Christopher was seen driving around with her and shoplifting beer from two different stores.
He eventually pulled into their family home’s driveway at around 12:40 p.m. and went inside the house, leaving the toddler in the hot car.
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
The child’s body heated up as the outside temperature soared to 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, the father was inside the house watching adult videos, playing video games, and drinking beer.
Prior to leaving the little one alone in the hot car, Christopher was captured shoplifting beer from two stores
Image credits: Erika Scholtes
Parker was left in the hot car for about three hours, causing her body temperature to reach 108 degrees.
It was only when her anesthesiologist mother, Erika ,returned from work that the little one was finally found.
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
The father initially claimed he left the child in the car for “no more than 30, 45 minutes” because he didn’t want to wake her up from a nap.
He claimed he left the air conditioning on, but also admitted knowing the car would automatically switch off within half an hour.
Officials confirmed that the child was left in the car for about three hours.
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?” read a text message Erika sent her husband while Parker was rushed to the hospital
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
Investigators also found that Christopher would regularly leave his children unattended in the car.
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?” read a text message Erika sent her husband from inside the ambulance while Parker was being rushed to the hospital.
She was pronounced deceased at the same hospital where her mother worked.
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
“Babe, I’m sorry,” the father responded. “Babe, our family. How could I do this? I k***ed our baby, this can’t be real.”
“We’ve lost her. She was perfect,” texted the bereaved mother.
A judge allowed the accused father to go on a family vacation to Hawaii this year
Christopher was arrested in July, 2024, for second-degree m**der but was released without bond.
He never spent a day behind bars for Parker’s passing and was even allowed by a Tucson judge to go on a family vacation to Hawaii in May this year.
Erika showed support for the deceased father during his first court hearing and called Parker’s passing a “big mistake.”
“This was a big mistake and I think that this doesn’t represent him,” she said.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed in a statement this week that the father took his own life.
“We expected him to be in court this morning,” she said in a Wednesday statement. “But instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here, we have been informed, and we have confirmed, that the father took his own life last night.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, help is available: International Hotlines
“Am I a terrible person for not being at all sad that he is d**d then?” one asked online
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