Dad accused in hot car death had history of abuse complaints

MARANA, Ariz. (Scripps News Tucson) — The father charged with murder for leaving his two-year-old daughter in a hot car had a history of child abuse complaints with another child.

Christopher Scholtes (Pima County Sheriff’s Office)

Marana Police body cameras caught Christopher Scholtes as he waited to hear if his two-year-old daughter, Parker, would survive. She didn’t. Investigators say she spent almost three and a half hours strapped in a car seat in temperatures well over a hundred degrees.—while her father sat in the living room drinking, playing video games and watching pornography.

Parker Scholtes died in July of 2024 , but records from Arizona’s Department of Child Safety disclose a history of child abuse complaints against Scholtes that dates back 11 years.

The complaints