MARANA, Ariz. — The Marana Police Department has released body camera footage showing the moments an Arizona father learned his child, which he allegedly left in the car for hours, was not conscious.
Christopher Scholtes has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in his daughter's death, which happened on July 9. Investigators have been sifting through conflicting facts in the case for weeks. The father told police he left her in the car to sleep with the air conditioner on for about 30 minutes while he went inside.
Police said the child was in the car for up to four hours and in direct sunlight.
Now, we are getting a look at his reaction from that day through blurred footage.
"She was left in the car for about 45 minutes but he said it was on," one officer is heard telling another officer.
The officer then asked Scholtes if the air conditioner was on.
"Yes," Scholtes said. He then tells another officer it must've turned off.
Throughout the video, an officer follows Scholtes as he paces around the house, grabbing his face and asking for updates on his daughter.
"Anything? Anything? Oh my god," Scholtes is heard saying.
Detectives obtained security video that showed Scholtes arriving home and parking in his driveway at 12:53 p.m. Scholtes went inside the family's home joined by the child's two siblings, aged 5 and 9.
The vehicle was parked in direct sunlight.
Scholtes wife then pulled into the family's driveway several hours later at 4:08 p.m. and minutes later, at 4:16 p.m. a call to 911 was made. The temperature at the time was 109 degrees.
'I told you to stop leaving them in the car'
12News obtained police records in the case which showed that when police talked to the Scholtes' two older children, it was discovered that he "regularly" left the children alone in the vehicle, according to the documents.
The document reveals that the children said Scholtes "got distracted by playing his game and putting food away" while their sister was in the vehicle.
While the 2-year-old girl was being rushed to the hospital, Scholtes received a text message from his wife.
The message read: "I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you."
Scholtes responded: "Babe, I'm sorry."
His wife then responded: "We've lost her, she was perfect."
Scholtes responded: "Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can't be real."
Scholtes is expected back in court in September.
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