Arizona girl, 2, left in car by father on 109-degree day and is found dead

[MsMarple]

It's not clear if he forgot the toddler, or if he left her sleeping or whatever.

In the video the officer said the father told them that he arrived home, the child was sleeping and he left the car running and the a/c on.

So he didn’t directly say he decided to leave her in the car but circumstances strongly suggest he did, otherwise why leave an empty car running with a/c going?

But yeah, I doubt he planned to leave her there for three hours so I guess he forgot about her as he got busy with something in the house.

 

[clorenc]

I knew it. How does someone mistake 3 hours for 30-60 minutes?

Either he wasn’t paying attention (video games?) or he lied out of fear.

 

[LadyL]

It's not clear if he forgot the toddler, or if he left her sleeping or whatever.

maybe both
thought he'd let her finish her nap and then forgot about her

 

[KMouse]

Yes, he lost my sympathy when he decided to leave his sleeping daughter in the car. He lives in Arizona, there’s a heat wave with temperatures above 105 degrees for pity’s sake!

BTW, in Arizona there’s no law prohibiting leaving a child in a car, running or not. IMO that needs to change. I’m also in favor of immediately taking blood to rule out impairment from drug or alcohol use.

Just because a caregiver is remorseful and acknowledges their mistake it shouldn’t negate their reckless behavior when they intentionally left their child in danger.
MOO

How many more children will die this year alone because of negligent and selfish guardians. There should be laws in every state in the US and every province in Canada.
When we stop for gas and our vehicle is turned off I always have to open the passenger door if it is warm out because it gets stifling hot within minutes. This man likely sat inside his air conditioned house playing video games or scrolling his phone while this child slowly died. He needs to go to jail.

 

[MissMalowe]

Yikes. Was trying to give the dad the benefit of the doubt (time really does fly sometimes) but it's sounding like he fibbed about the length of time.
Did I miss anything about their other kids? Where were they?

 

[threesevenninefour]

Ugh, this made me so sad…I can’t even imagine what that poor mom was thinking or feeling

The toddler was rushed to Banner University Medical Center Tucson, where her mother Erika Scholtes, 35, worked as an anesthesiologist.

Girl, 2, dies in hot car after 'her father made terrible mistake'

Parker Scholtes, 2, died after she was left in a car outside her home in Tucson, Arizona, for at least half an hour by her father Chris Scholtes as the temperature climbed to 109F.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[ChatteringBirds]

This isn't a 'terrible mistake' this is an adult who CHOSE to leave his toddler in a hot car for what sounds like hours while he played video games. There's no 'mistake'.

He may have thought it was an air-conditioned car the entire time, but I have to agree he left her way too long. And to think he would have left her longer, if his wife had not arrived home to ask about her.

 

[KMouse]

He may have thought it was an air-conditioned car the entire time, but I have to agree he left her way too long. And to think he would have left her longer, if his wife had not arrived home to ask about her.

Imagine that conversation. Poor Mom.

 

[Ray_of_hope]

It's not clear if he forgot the toddler, or if he left her sleeping or whatever.

OK, I just read another article and dad left the car running per report to keep toddler cool. So he made a conscious decision to leave the baby. Mom is a working mom and is an MD anesthesiologist. I wonder if dad is a stay at home dad raising the kiddos. What a tragedy. They have two older children. There are so many reports of children and animals dying in hot cars recently that people must be aware. If only...