Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - BREAKING: Dad Who Let Daughter Die in Hot Car DEAD

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

Christopher Scholtes, the Arizona father who pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his daughter, Parker Scholtes, has died. Few details are available but Scholtes was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday but didn't appear. He was discovered deceased. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes over the case in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CRIMEFIX at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/crimefixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest:Dwane CatesProducer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Just to let you know, I don't want to feel like we're intruding, but we're going to have to stand by with you for a while, all right. Good reason why. So any death, we have to treat like a crime scene. Breaking news out of Arizona, Christopher Schultz, the father, who admitted to abusing his two-year-old daughter by leaving her to do.

die in a hot car while he searched the internet for porn and played video games is dead. This news comes as he was supposed to turn himself in after his guilty plea. I go through everything we know about this breaking development in the heartbreaking case. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy, and this is Crime Fix. If you think that the crime stories that we cover here on Crime Fix are scary, Wait until you hear what's happening with your personal data online. Your name, your phone number, even your address, it's all floating around the internet for data brokers to sell or for scammers to steal.

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So if you care about your online safety and you should take your data back with incogni, use code crime fix for 60% off an annual plan. Christopher Schultz was supposed to appear in court following his guilty plea on charges of second degree murder and child abuse, but he didn't show up. Schultz had appeared for all of his prior court appearances, but on Wednesday, he was a no-show at court in Pima County, Arizona. That was caused for concern. Where was Christopher Schultz? And why didn't he show up for court? He was ordered to turn himself in by the end of the day, but that would not happen. Authorities in Phoenix, about an hour's drive from Morana, where Schultz had lived with his family when his daughter Parker died in their driveway in July of 2024, said Schultz was found dead

around 5 a.m. in a home there. There aren't a lot of details available about the circumstances surrounding Christopher Schultz's death, but one thing certainly comes to mind. His life was ruined. He was going to prison for 30 years to serve time for the murder and child abuse of his beautiful daughter. He had been a stay-at-home dad prior to that and had what appeared to be a pretty nice life. His wife was a doctor. They had a beautiful home and children. And Schultz would have to live with what he had done for the rest of his life, most of which would be spent behind prison walls. It would be a miserable and miserable existence for sure. What he did to Parker was incredibly selfish. He didn't forget she was in the car. He left her there on purpose after the evidence showed he'd been told

not to leave her in the car many, many times before. Parker Schultz died for no reason at all. Let's take a look back at the case, starting with the 911 call that day in July 24. What are you reporting? She was in the car sleeping. She's unresponsive. Okay. And who is she? Please, please, please.

My daughter. My daughter. Please, please, please. And this was that in the driveway? Yes. Is she still breathing? No, she's not breathing right now. Okay, we need to start CPR right now.

Yes, we are. We're out of CPR, yes. Oh, my God. Oh, God. How long was it in? It's half hour. It was, but it turns off. I've been checking.

My God. Okay, is she breathing yet? Is she breathing? No. Medics arrived and tried to save Parker, but it was simply too late. Video from inside the home is blurred. now Christopher Schultz begins to ask why police officers are at his house At one point on why are you with me because we were first responders and we were on scene

anything like this happens they call us at one point Schultz talks about his car parked in the driveway he said he left Parker in it with the AC on just as he had claimed in the 911 call the AC was on Are you guys all here for me, my MDX? The black one? The blue. The blue. Are you guys here for me? We're...

Yeah. We want to do the other thing again at all this. That's why you have someone to us. Christopher. I feel my worst in nightmare. Christopher Schultz was incredibly upset. This is an emergency of his own making. His wife is a doctor.

And she knows that there's nothing that can be done to save Parker. She's dead. Like, I need to be with her. Oh, my God. I know. No. No. Sir, thank you.

Sir. Come on. We're nothing. Sir. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

No. No. They're going to Northwest. Yeah, they're going to Banner right now. We're going to keep you updated with everything, okay? We just need to stand by with you right now, all right? Is that your wife out there? Yes.

Okay. We're going to make sure she gets down there, okay? We have officers escorting her down there. If we need to, we will drive her down there, and we'll make the same thing. we'll make the same accommodations for you all right we'll keep you updated with everything they have officers are in the house with christopher shultz for a while and then his wife called she wants me to try and get her ride to the hospital hey we will we'll accommodate that for you all right

um we're just going to need to get a statement from you about what happened what's been going on obviously i know this isn't easy for you okay it's not easy for anyone around right now we're going to keep you updated with everything we hear. Do you want to sit down somewhere? Where would you be most comfortable? Sure. You want me to refitless for you? Is that all right?

An officer gets Schultz to talk, and he offers an explanation as to why the car was parked in the driveway and not the garage. I'm sorry, this is all the on? We always parked that car in the garage, usually, but I just got a Peloton recently, and the Peloton is in the garage now. So that's why it's not even in the garage. And how long was she sleeping in the car out there? I want to say it was no more than 30, 45 minutes. And I don't think their air was off that entire time. I think there was a time in between. I checked on her last. It was still running. She was still sleeping. And then when I went back out, the car was off.

Schultz wants to go to the hospital, but his plans don't work out exactly as he had hoped. Just to let you know, I don't want to feel like we're intruding, but we're going to have to stand by with you for a while, all right. Is there a reason why? So any death, we have to treat like a crime scene. I know this is extremely difficult for you. This is a normal process that we have to follow through with. I don't want you to be blindsided by any care. But that's what's going to be going on for right now, okay?

So I'm being treated like a murderer? No. I just love my baby. Not at all. I know that. And I know this isn't easy for you. That's why I'm trying to be straightforward and honest with you, okay? I don't want to keep any secrets.

I don't want to hide anything for you. Someone's going to talk to you about what happened, though. All right? We will keep you updated with everything. My old family, like what whole family is going to be growing. We're going to be right. So we can't let you do that right now. We have to stand by with you.

Okay? As soon as you can, we will let you know. He's stay in the room if you want, but I'm going to be in top. I know this isn't easy for you, but the quicker we get this done and finish out, the sooner you can be with your wife. All right. I'm trying to turn it off so I can go to the hospital with me with my wife.

We're not going to shower anything right now. You need to stand by with us. I don't understand why. Christopher Schultz was later charged with second degree murder and taken into custody. It would later come to light, though, that Schultz had left Parker and her siblings in the car more than 50 times in the past. Then there was this text exchange between Schultz and his wife as Parker was being rushed to the hospital. Erica Schultz wrote, I told you to stop leaving them in the car. how many times have I told you? Schultz responded, babe, I'm sorry. His wife responded, we've lost her. She was perfect. Shultz then responded, babe, our family, how could I do this? I killed our baby. This can't be real. Christopher Schultz turned down a plea deal in the spring. Then last month, days before jury selection was set to begin in his trial and after a judge ruled the jury would not hear that Schultz was searching for pornography as Parker lay dying in the car. He agreed to plead.

guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse. The county attorney issued a statement. It reads, Christopher Schultz accepted a plea agreement and pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of intentional slash knowing child abuse under circumstances likely to cause death or serious physical injury. Under the terms of the plea, the sentences imposed by the judge are going to run consecutively and Schultz will face a sentencing range of 20 to 30 years of flat time, meaning he's not eligible for early release. He must serve the full sentence imposed by the court in the Department of Corrections for murdering PS on July 9th, 2024. We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of our prosecutors, victim advocates, staff for their collaboration with local law enforcement on this

complicated and high profile case. This is yet another reminder to the community that the Pima County Attorney's Office will do everything we can to get justice for victims and prosecute those who have caused harm to others, especially those who are most vulnerable. Schultz was supposed to be sentenced later this month, then came word that he didn't show up for court, and he was found dead. So joining me to discuss this really tragic development in this case is Dwayne Cates. He's a certified specialist in criminal law with the Arizona State Bar, longtime criminal defense attorney. Dwayne, you know, this is a tragedy of Christopher Schultes. He Hewitt Schultz was going to prison likely for 30 years for the death of his daughter, Parker, a beautiful little girl.

I just don't understand sometimes in cases like this. I get it. You know, he had been free on bail the entire time. He may have been safer, though, in jail and county jail pending sentencing. What are your thoughts on this? Well, Arizona has a rule called Rule 7.2. And if you plead guilty to a charge that requires you to go to prison, it's kind of mandatory that you go into custody. Now, the only time that doesn't happen is if the prosecutor and the defense attorney both agree and the judge agrees to waive 7.2, then the person can stay out.

But more times than not, a person is taken into custody if they enter into a plea that requires prison for this very reason. because there's a fear that something could happen maybe the person does something that disappears runs off goes to another country you know you know you know it's found deceased in the ocean you know you never know what's going to happen yeah i i'm not entirely shocked by this development i mean it's a horrific case when you look back at the body camera footage obviously christopher schultz did not do this on purpose he didn't not do this on purpose. But he neglected his duties as a dad quite clearly. He admitted to abusing his daughter by leaving her out in that hot car. And this is not something, this was not a one-off.

He had done this 50 times or so before. He had repeatedly left this beautiful little girl in the car. Typically, he would leave her in the garage. But the Peloton bike was in there that day. And so he left her in the driveway to sleep in the middle of the summer in July. lie. And he's in the house playing video games and stuff. And she's out there for three hours. So, you know, it's just a horrific case. I know he didn't do it on purpose, but a little girl died. I mean, it's just horrific. Yeah. And what makes it really bad is that he'd done it numerous, numerous times before. And the email or the text message from his wife is really damning, where it's like, dang it. I told you not to do not to leave the kids.

kids in the car. I've told you 100 times, you know, very emphatically that she had been telling him not to do that. Okay. And so he can't say, you know, sometimes people are in a rush and they grab the groceries and they go in the house and they forget the child. That's not this case. He left the child there intentionally and he apparently does it all the time. And that's what's so upsetting about this case is that he didn't learn. He didn't learn his lesson. I mean, anything could happen if you leave a child in a car. I mean, somebody can steal the car. Somebody could snatch the child. Any number of things could happen, Dwayne. Well, you've got to keep in mind, this is Arizona, too. So in the middle of July, it's hot. I mean, it's 115, 120 degrees outside sometimes. So, you know,

I mean, you just can't leave anybody in the car. You can't leave a dog, anything. So, you know, And again, you know, there's various reports that maybe he was in, you know, playing video games and looking at porn or whatever, you know, and if that, if those are the facts, then had he gone to trial, he would have got life in prison. Okay. So the plea agreement was going to let him get out. I think between 20 and 30 years is what the plea called for. And so, you know, and again, that's a, you know, he looks to be, you know, in his 30s, you know, so that was almost essentially a life in prison sentence. Most definitely. And, you know, I said earlier, you know, in the show, the rest of his life was going to be a miserable, miserable existence. He was going to walk into prison as somebody who did this. He wasn't going to be looked upon in a nice way among the other inmates in the prison. You know, you left your daughter in a car to die while you were doing this stuff on the internet and playing video games. so life was going to be pretty miserable for him in prison and he had a really nice life he was a stay-at-home dad well his wife was at work she was a physician so he had a pretty nice life and then he was going to be walking into prison for likely 30 years i think the judge was going to throw the book at him well and and and to think about it this way in Arizona okay there there are different yards where you get placed in prison okay now if if he were if he were if he were

a child molester, okay, he would go to a sex yard, which is way better than the other yards. But because he had a second-degree murder conviction that was dangerous crimes against children, he most likely was going to go to a four-yard, which is the maximum security yard, just below the death penalty and death row. And, you know, he's going to be put in there with some really bad guys that don't like the fact that children got that a child got killed and so he was he was going to have a really rough life this seemed like a major error though on the part of the courts it seems like a really a bad miscalculation you know on the part of the defense the prosecution and the judge in my opinion because we've

seen this type of thing happen you know in other cases where somebody takes off somebody decides to end it because they're not going to go to prison for the rest of their life. So do you think that judges will be more hesitant after seeing this to agree to that in the future? And generally when stakes are this high, the person isn't let go. I mean, that's that's generally speaking. And I think because his wife probably spoke highly of him at the at the bond reduction hearing, the hearing to get him out. Okay. And, you know, You know, I think that that probably played into it. But in most cases where you're pleading the second-degree murder,

you know, you're not going home from the change of plea hearing. You're going to jail. And that, you know, and again, all it has to happen is if the prosecutor would have said, I'm not willing to waive 7.2, then they would have had to have put him in jail. Okay, because if the state had to agree to do that, if they didn't do that, then the judge has no choice because the statute, basically says shall and some judges read it that you can't even you know that you can't waive it okay I've had judges tell me that so most will if everybody agrees but but generally not on a second

degree murder case yeah it's it's really sad I mean it's sad for his other children because now they're going to grow up without a father at all at least they may have been able to speak with him on the phone or the prison tablet or something like that but now now they're not going to be able to ever speak with their father again. It really is a tragedy. But I hope that the courts will take notice of this and see that they should have just taken him into custody right then and there after the guilty plea. Dwayne Cates, I really appreciate your time.

Thank you so much. No problem. Hey, thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. Anytime. And we'll continue to follow this case for you. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me for this episode of Crime Fix.

I'll see you back here next time.