An Arizona father has admitted guilt in the tragic case involving his young daughter, who was left unattended in a van last year. Christopher Scholtes, 38, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in Pima County, leading to his guilty plea on Wednesday.

The Pima County Attorney’s Office confirmed that Scholtes pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and intentional child abuse that resulted in death or serious injury. This plea comes in the wake of the heart-wrenching incident on July 9, 2024, which led to the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Parker Scholtes.

Back in March 2025, Scholtes had turned down an earlier plea deal, which was reported by The Arizona Republic. That deal would have seen him serve between 10 and 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole for second-degree murder. However, Scholtes has now accepted a plea that could result in a harsher sentence.

As part of the current agreement, Scholtes is facing a potential 30-year prison term, with sentencing scheduled for November. The Pima County Attorney’s Office specified that the sentences for each charge will be served consecutively, with no option for parole.

According to CrimeOnline, the tragic event unfolded when Scholtes left Parker in a van parked in the driveway of their Marana home. On that fateful day, temperatures soared to a blistering 109 degrees, making the situation fatal for the young child.

Scholtes claimed he left the air conditioning on and that he never intended to harm his daughter.

Scholtes’ other two children, ages 9 and 5, said Scholtes usually left them alone in the vehicle to play. On the day of the incident, Scholtes got distracted while their sister was still in the car, the children said.

The timeline of events Scholtes gave investigators did not match security video obtained from a neighbor. The video confirmed Scholtes left Parker in the vehicle for three hours, not one hour, as he had claimed.

Scholtes also claimed he arrived home with the children at around 2 p.m., but security footage showed the vehicle arriving at 12:53 p.m. and not leaving again.

Before he returned home, he allegedly stole alcohol from a store. When he returned to the residence, he watched pornography, played video games and sent his wife text messages, Tucson.com reports.

At around 4 p.m. that day, Scholtes’ wife, Dr. Erika Scholtes, arrived home, discovered Parker unresponsive and performed CPR. She then called 911.

Scholtes claimed his phone was supposed to ping when the car overheats or shuts off, but that didn’t happen.

“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?” Scholtes’ wife later said in a text message.

Scholtes’ only criminal history is a DUI charge from 15 years ago.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 21 and will be handed down by a Pima County Superior Court judge.

Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo: Christopher and Parker Scholtes/Facebook]