An Arizona man has been arrested and accused of murder after allegedly leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a car outside their residence for three hours while temperatures reached 109 degrees, according to authorities.
Christopher Scholtes Arrested for Murder and Child Abuse
Christopher Scholtes, 37, was charged on Friday and is facing second-degree murder and child abuse liabilities, as reported by Marana police.
According to the police announcement, Scholtes claimed that when he returned home on Tuesday afternoon, his daughter was asleep in her car seat, and he didn't want to bother her. He declared that he left her in the running car with the air conditioning on while he went inside the house.
Quickly thereafter, the girl's mother arrived home and discovered the child in the car, which was no longer running, and the air conditioning was off. Despite efforts to resurrect her by the mom and responding officers, the girl was announced dead at a local hospital.
Police checked footage from nearby residences and concluded that Scholtes had left his child in the car for about three hours. A recent heat wave has been influencing parts of the country, with temperatures hitting 109 degrees on that day.
An affidavit declares that Scholtes voiced it was not unusual for him and his wife, a medical doctor, to leave their daughter in a running vehicle while parked in the garage. He said he stopped the car on the driveway due to exercise apparatus in the garage. He also signified that he commonly gets warnings if his car overheats or closes up but did not get any notices on the day of the circumstances.
Police highlighted the threats of leaving children not watched in vehicles, noting that temperatures can increase swiftly, resulting in possibly deadly results in just minutes. They encouraged all parents and caregivers to stay watchful and take every preventive measure to guarantee children's safety.
Parents Charged with Murder After Child's Fatal Heat Exhaustion
An Arkansas couple has been accused of capital murder after one of their young kids perished from possible heat exhaustion after being left in a hot car, authorities said.
Prosecutors in Little Rock filed liabilities against Deja and Justin Rollins on Monday after the demise of their 2-year-old kid. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Little Rock police answered a child abuse report on Sunday afternoon at Arkansas Children's Hospital, where the couple's 3-year-old was getting emergency medical medication. The record commenced from Jacksonville, Ark., where the couple resides.
Hospital security got a call from Jacksonville police notifying them that the couple had four other kids, aged 2, 4, 7, and 10, in a car in the hospital parking lot. The kids were brought into the hospital for medication, and the 2-year-old passed away the next day, according to Little Rock police.
Besides the murder charges, Deja and Justin Rollins each face charges of domestic battery, neglect, and child endangerment involving all five of their children, as well as animal cruelty and obstruction. Investigators found a malnourished dog at the Rollins' Jacksonville home.
Online court documents did not list an attorney for the couple, and the county public defender did not instantly answer a request for comment. The couple was being held without bond on Tuesday, and prosecutors have not yet determined whether to pursue the death penalty.
