Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - BREAKING: Hot Car Dad's Autopsy Report Revealed

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

The cause and manner of death for Christopher Scholtes have been determined by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office. Scholtes was scheduled to surrender to court officials in Pima County in November after pleading guilty to 2nd degree murder in the death of his daughter, Parker. Parker died in July 2024 after Scholtes left her in a hot car in their driveway. But on November 5, Scholtes failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance. His wife and the family's nanny found him in the garage of their home with the car running, according to an autopsy report. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy has new details about Scholtes and his passing in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:Grow your own audience today – go to https://opus.pro/crimefix for 1 week free plus 50% off the first 3 months of Opus Pro. Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest: Dr. Mary JumbelicProducer: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. We're not going to shower anything right now. You need to stand by with us. I don't understand why. New details are surfacing about the death of Christopher Shultes, the dad who pleaded guilty to leaving his daughter in a hot car for hours, while he played video games and watched porn. I have the autopsy report what the Emmy's findings reveal about this. Bad Dad's final act just ahead. I'm Ann Janette Levy, and this is Crime Fix.

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prison sentence right now for the death of his two-year-old daughter Parker. But instead, his family is preparing for their second Christmas without Little Parker and their first, without Schultes in their life at all. Sheltes died on November 5th at his home in Phoenix, Arizona, on the same day that he was supposed to turn himself in to start serving that prison sentence for Parker's death. Sheltis left Parker in a hot car in July of 2024 at the family's home in Morana, Arizona. The case was absolutely stunning, in part because it later came out that Shultus was watching pornography, playing video games, and shopping for clothes online as Little Parker sat in her car seat dying in the hot Arizona sun in Shultus' car. Now, I'll get to the autopsy report and its

results here in just a bit. But first, let's take a look back at the bodyworn camera footage from that day. Anything. Anything. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Chris. for Schultes then actually questions why police officers were at his house. At one point out, what's going 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, Schultes mentions his car. He had talked about it on the 911 call and how he left Parker in it with the AC on.

The AC was on. Are you guys all hear from my MDX in the driveway? The black one? The blue. Are you guys here for me? We're... We're... Yeah.

We want to do anything again at all this. That's why yes. This is my worst nightmare. Now it's obvious. Now, it's obvious, obvious that Christopher Schultes was devastated. His wife, Erica, is a doctor. And sadly, she knows that there's little, if anything, that can be done to bring Parker back. She's, she's dead.

Like, I need to be with her. Oh, my God. I know. No. No. No. I have to say eight quarter one, two, something in the car. She's dead.

She's dead. We have nothing. Sir. Oh my God, oh my God, my God. No. No. Oh. You're going to Northwest.

You can go to University. 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?

All right? We have officers escorting her down there. If we need to, we will drive her down there, and we'll make the same accommodations for you, all right? We'll keep you updated with everything they have. with everything they have. Police officers were in the house with Christopher Schultes for a while and then his wife called.

She wants me to try and get her right to the hospital. Hey, we will accommodate that for you, all right? 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 refit this for you? Can I sit? Is that all right? An officer gets Shultus to talk, and he offers an explanation as to why the car was parked in the driveway and not in the garage. I'm sorry, this is all going on. We always parked that part in the garage, usually, but I just got a Peloton recently. in the palatine 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 had checked on her last. It was still running. She was still sleeping. And then when I went back out, the car was off. Officers later determined that Parker had been in the car much longer than 30 to 45 minutes. Shultus wanted to go to the hospital to be with his family, but that wasn't going to happen. 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 anything, 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 lost 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 get a shower. 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. If you stay in the room if you want,

but I'm going to be in time. I know this isn't easy for you, but the clicker, we get this done and finish up, the sooner you can be with your wife. all right. I'm trying to turn it off so I can go to the hospital to 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. It would later come to light that Christopher Schultes had left Parker and her siblings in the car more than 50 times in the past. And then there was this text exchange

between Schultes and his wife as little Parker was being rushed to the hospital. Erica Schultes wrote, I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you? Christopher Schultes responded, babe, I'm sorry. His wife responded, we've lost her. She was perfect. Schultes then responded, babe, our family, how could I do this? I killed our baby. This can't be real. Christopher Schultes was at first charged with second degree murder in Parker's death. And eventually that charge was bumped up to first degree murder because of the child abuse that was occurring in the course of Parker's death. No one believed that Christopher Schultes intentionally tried to kill his daughter, but it was the fact that he had left her in the car so many times before and told not

to do so that made this case so incredibly disturbing. Shultus actually turned down an offer to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the spring of 2025, but then on the eve of his trial this fall, he changed his mind and agreed to plead guilty to murder too. That plea would have sent him to prison for as long as 30 years. Then came November 5th, and Christopher Schultes didn't come to court to turn himself in. The Pima County prosecutor announced that Christopher Schultes didn't show because he was dead. We expected to be in court this morning because the father had accepted a plea agreement to second degree murder, which could have carried as much as 30 years in prison. But instead of coming in to take account for what has occurred here, we have been

informed, and we have confirmed that the father took his own life last night. Now the medical examiner's report is complete, and the ME has confirmed that Christopher Schultes died by his own hands and determined that his cause of death was carbon monoxide toxicity caused by exhaust inhalation in a poorly ventilated environment. In other words, Christopher Schultes died from being in an enclosed space and carbon monoxide over. overwhelmed his system. The autopsy report states, per investigative report and available medical records, the decedent is a 38-year-old male with a history of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, remote cocaine, alcohol, and cannabis use,

and degenerative joint disease, who was found by his wife and live-in nanny unresponsive in a running car in his garage with a host connected from the car's exhaust to the driver's window. next if Ken turned off the car, left the keys in the ignition, rolled the windows down, and opened the garage door before calling 911. Emergency medical personnel and law enforcement arrived unseen, and death was pronounced on November 5, 2025. A note that talked about ending his life was found in the residence, and the decedent's living will was found on top of the car. Also found in the garage was an open ladder, and a rope secured around a ceiling beam with a hanging looped end tied with knots. He reportedly made some

statements after the death of his daughter, and he had recently exhibited a depressed mood. He reportedly was under stress due to a recent trial regarding his daughter's death and was expected to voluntarily surrender himself to law enforcement for a prison sentence on November 5th, 2025. There were no concerns for suspicious circumstances. Now, all of this makes it sense. like Christopher Schultes thought this out. It may have tried another way to end his life. Sadly, Christopher Schultes ended his life in a similar way to which Parker died in a car, although in a much less painful way. The report goes on to discuss the condition of Christopher Schultes's body. The body is that of a well-developed, well-nourished, 72-inch, 209-pound male whose appearance is

consistent with the given age of 38 years. The scalp is covered by black hair. The scalp is covered by black hair. There are no palpable facial fractures. There is a mustache and beard. The eyes have hazel irides, congested ballbar conjunctiv eye, and have no patechiae, hemorrhage, or jaundice. On the right lower lip is a single piercing with jewelry. The atramatic oral cavity has natural teeth in fair condition. The anterior and posterior aspects of the torso have no developmental deformities. The atramatic external genitalia are that of an adult male. The extremities are symmetric. All digits are present. The fingernails and toe nails are unremarkable. A red office of the medical examiner identification band is around the right ankle. So to discuss this autopsy report, I want to bring in Dr. Mary Jumbelik. She's a retired forensic pathologist and has done many, many autopsies over the years. So Dr. Jambelik, what jumps out at you about this autopsy report? It seems fairly straightforward to me. Yes, I mean, it was an autopsy report complete with the toxicology.

And so we see a fatal level of carboxyhemoglobin, which is the carbon monoxide poison in his system, as well as a very high level of Benadryl, diphenhydromine, and antihistamine in his system. I was going to ask you about that because I was reading through that. And obviously, I'm not, you know, I'm not a toxicologist. I'm not a forensic pathologist. So I'm looking at the fact that, yes, he has Benadryl, diphenhydramine, in his system. And usually you would take that to treat allergies or something to that effect. He also had, I guess, a certain level of cannabis in his system.

Could that Benadryl have been used to, you're saying it's a good amount, maybe to, sedate himself to calm his nerves to carry this out? Yes, antihistamines are typically used for allergies, but they're also used as sleep products. And so because it has that sedative effect, he might have taken it beforehand to allow the ease of the carbon monoxide poison to take effect. Do you think this is probably something that he thought quite a bit about? I mean, he took the step of putting the living will on top of the car, which was very eerie to me. That's saying, if you find me, do not resuscitate me. My instructions, my advanced directive is in here. For people who don't know what a living will is, that's where you lay out what you

want to happen if you're in a state where you need medical care and they can't help you. Right. I think the living will is certainly an act that requires forethought to put that, you know, right there near where he was found. Probably he feared being pulled out too soon and maybe surviving on a ventilator or, you know, excess resuscitative methods. And so he wanted to avoid that. And then the care with which he took to absorb the carbon monoxide with how he used the tubes, you know, into the car and all of that indicates he thought this out. Yeah, the tube in the car was a stunning kind of thing to me. You know, that took a lot of forethought because you're trying to make sure that it gets in there and it gets in there quickly, the carbon monoxide, the exhaust from the vehicle. also very eerie and disturbing the fact that he had set up a ladder.

So there was another mechanism potentially set up. I'm thinking if this didn't work possibly. I mean, this is something, it was like a backup plan almost. Yes, it does appear that way from what I've heard described from the scene that if one method didn't work, he could try another. With modern cars, they don't emit as much carbon monoxide as. older vehicles used to. We used to say in a single car garage with a closed door, you could reach a fatal level of CO in five minutes.

But that isn't true with a lot of the catalytic converters and the cleaner mechanisms that we have in cars. It may take longer than that. And a lot of homes are equipped with carbon monoxide detectors these days as well. Yes. Was the level of cannabis in his system remarkable at all? I think that if someone were a chronic user, it doesn't really have much applicability,

except if he was a first-time user. Very interesting. So if you're obviously a medical examiner, a forensic pathologist, you see that there's the note that was left in the house talking about this. I mean he didn't want to go to prison obviously this going to prison for up to potentially 30 years and going into a maximum security prison when you've been living a plush life that's a very harsh reality coupled with the guilt of I killed my daughter I left my daughter in a car to die I think it's a it's it's tragic overall the family is now suffering you know more than one grief the loss of the father the loss of the daughter the

year before. I don't know his mindset in the sense of all the details of what he felt, but that he wrote everything down in a note that he left to explain himself as best he could. And then he was about, you know, to face the harsh reality of his actions from the year before. And apparently that was too much for him. Yeah, it's just, it's really terrible. Very sad for the children left behind. and Erica Schultes and the parents, other family members of Christopher Schultes, just a horrible situation all the way around. Mary Jumbulloch, thank you so much.

You're welcome. And our thoughts go out to the Schultes family at this time. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm me and Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.