PHOENIX ( KPHO /Gray News) - An Arizona father at the center of a high-profile case regarding the death of his young daughter has died.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead around 5 a.m. Wednesday in a home near 7th Street and Northern Avenue .

Phoenix police said they are investigating his death as a suicide.

KOLD reports that Scholtes was supposed to turn himself in by the end of the day after missing a court hearing.

Late last month, the 38-year-old had accepted a deal in the case, where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse.

Scholtes was accused of leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car outside a Marana home last year.

Marana police and firefighters said they found the child u

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