Overview
- Phoenix police say Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead around 5 a.m. at a home near 7th Street and Northern Avenue and they are investigating his death as a suicide.
- The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has listed the case and expects to release a report on the death in about 90 days.
- Scholtes recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a plea agreement, with Arizona’s Family also reporting a child abuse count, and the deal carried a potential sentence of up to 30 years.
- He failed to appear for a hearing Wednesday at which he was to be taken into custody and local outlets reported he was expected to turn himself in later that day, with formal sentencing scheduled for November 21.
- Investigators say 2-year-old Parker Scholtes was left strapped in a car for roughly three to three-and-a-half hours in July 2024 in extreme heat, and an autopsy recorded her body temperature at 108.9 degrees.