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

[LifeIsAMystery]

Agree, but I don't see how a No Contact order is feasible in the family home.

It seems like a nice suburban home, but they do not appear to have a separate mother-in-law or other outbuilding where he could be away from the children.

Do the girls have to be removed from the home so he can get meals? How disruptive would that be? Do they have to leave at times for him to use the "exercise equipment" in the garage that was his excuse for leaving the car outside?

LE certainly would not allow this for a sexual abuser, why would he get any exceptions in this case?

Agree, and this is after AZ removed a 4th child from that home. Once the charges were escalated and the children both said BOTH parents told them to LIE to LE, he should have been put back in jail or in a half way house or similar IMHOO.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Seems like the easiest solution (if he’s granted bail) is for him to move out of the home. If mom is faced with a choice between him and her surviving daughters I would hope that she’d boot him out. MOO

I would hope too, but, wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't send them off if there is family available. He has no income. If there is bail, she would be the one to pay it. She is also paying for his lawyer and is NOT WORKING HERSELF since the court ordered him not to be alone with the kids. But to HER, the WORST thing would be him not there.

Better he be jailed, she return to work (practice and teaching) and hire competent child care and a trauma therapist for the kids. But she is focused only on him and her own ongoing access to him. She laughably projects that same need onto the children who likely fear for safety and worry @ retaliation.

The situation is bizarre and dangerous IMOOO. With 1st degree charges the stress has increased exponentially. AZ needs to be pushed to act. <modsnip - Websleuths does not condone members inserting themselves into the cases>

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I find the use of the term "perfect" to be strangely unemotional and objective.

I actually interpreted that as an expression of anguish... that she was in shock and saying, we have lost our perfect little-one. I didn't take it as unemotional nor a comparison to any other child.

 

[IDK]

I have noticed in many pictures CS has what appears to be a growth on his right lower lip? Now I’m thinking it may be a piercing? Just curious as to what it could be:

Harrowing autopsy update after girl, 2, was left to die in hot car

Parker Scholtes was found dead in the blue 2023 Honda Acura SUV after about 4.15pm on July 9 outside the family home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona .

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Normancita]

Are any of their social media accounts still up?

I can’t find any.

 

[BrownRice]

snipped for focus @Charlot Yes, "perfect" could be a comparison to his older dau or their older dau.'s.

Or is it possible that Parker had a developmental delay, physical impairment, disease, an injury caused by -IDK what-
and that CS had expressed his thought/feeling to ES that Parker was somehow 'lesser than' their dau's?
Or 'lesser than' children gen'ly?
( @iamshadow21 My ^ phrasing is clumsy. Can you help pls?)

And in prior convo's ES may have disputed that idea and had been saying she was perfect? And repeated it in text to CS that day?

I may be stretching here w this line of possibilty.
@Charlot123 Yes, strange wording.

Yes, I’ve always thought “perfect” was an odd word. Don’t most parents think their kids are perfect (when they are little at least ).

 

[MsMarple]

Yes, I’ve always thought “perfect” was an odd word. Don’t most parents think their kids are perfect (when they are little at least ).

I’m struggling with a lot of what was said between the parents. Presumably the father stayed behind to speak with LE while the mother traveled to the hospital to be with her daughter.

If so then why would they be texting back and forth? Maybe I’m just too old school to appreciate the way younger people communicate these days. I would expect the priority to be the child rather than blaming and apologizing through texts.

Then again it might have been very clear that the girl was deceased and so the focus was on blame?

This case has me scratching my head. As a former SAHM I know for sure my husband would be too angry at me to even chastise me and vice versa. All MOO

 

[vlbay]

I actually interpreted that as an expression of anguish... that she was in shock and saying, we have lost our perfect little-one. I didn't take it as unemotional nor a comparison to any other child.

I agree. I don't think there's anything weird about using the word perfect. It sounds like something someone who just lost a child and is with them for the last time might say. There's plenty of other stuff to analyze in this case, but this feels like a reach.

 

[ErinC]

Word choice aside- is there any point in that 911 call or any of the communications, at which he calls Parker by her name, instead of just "the baby" "our baby"? Because I could have missed it, but I haven't heard it yet...telling if so.

 

[abyquinn]

I’m struggling with a lot of what was said between the parents. Presumably the father stayed behind to speak with LE while the mother traveled to the hospital to be with her daughter.

If so then why would they be texting back and forth? Maybe I’m just too old school to appreciate the way younger people communicate these days. I would expect the priority to be the child rather than blaming and apologizing through texts.

Then again it might have been very clear that the girl was deceased and so the focus was on blame?

This case has me scratching my head. As a former SAHM I know for sure my husband would be too angry at me to even chastise me and vice versa. All MOO

I don’t think there was any question about Parker being deceased. She had skin slippage on her face and lesions (burns) all over. Brain death occurs at 107*, Parker was 108.9 IIRC. Of course with a baby you always hope but I think that poor baby had been dead for quite awhile. MOO

Warning graphic One thing I noticed in the autopsy, Parker didn’t have any damage to her hands & fingers like I would’ve expected if she had been awake. No bruises from struggling to get out of the car seat. No self inflicted wounds, or her own skin under her nails from pinching/scratching herself. No mention of her hair being pulled out. All things I’ve read kids have done when locked in a hot car. This gives me a small amount of hope that she didn’t wake up before succumbing to the heat. I always hope this is the case for these poor babies, although I realize it is seldom true.

I can see them texting, they wouldn’t have had a chance to speak to each other before taking Parker to the ER. They probably use text when communicating while she’s at work. I’m guessing they didn’t think about LE taking their phones as evidence. I wouldn’t have been able to text or speak to my husband under their circumstances - I highly doubt I would’ve asked the judge to let him come home, jail would’ve been safer for him.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Let's please not perpetuate the idea that people need to finish college or do something besides take care of kids, etc. to deserve as much respect as anyone else, per say.

Well said!!

 

[Panniniclaus]

I just spent time reading all of the posts and this is the most outrageous car death I’ve ever heard of. Other car deaths I’ve been able to sympathize with when a change of routine, distraction, and overwhelm could have played a role. This one, though, is not akin to the others. It was purposeful and was a part of a long standing pattern which had endangered his other children in the past.

In this vein, I also have no sympathy for the mother. I believe she has culpability here. Not only did she admit she knew he continually left the children in the car and did so even after being told not to (and I’m assuming being reminded of the dangers) but she also knew he had a child removed from THEIR care due to neglect or abuse.

Then, she goes one step further, to ask for the husband to come home again. Again, this isn’t the same as forgiving a spouse for a horrific accident. He purposely put his child in this scenario to play a video game - and had done so to all of his children in the past. She either enjoys Russian roulette or wanted him home to make sure she can ensure he doesn’t talk and implicate her too.

something is very very wrong with both of them.

I understand your thoughts.. I still feel for her though.. This is a man she has had three children with, there must be something that binds them together. She's the bread winner, working long hours and likely doing more than her share when not working.

This is on the grown man.. the one that brought four children into the world and couldn't be bothered to keep them alive which should be the bare minimum.

 

[shesfixingherhair]

I wouldn't be surprised if their relationship troubles were a real slow-burn gaslit situation where she didn't realize until too late what a mess she was in with him

His firstborn self-harmed before being removed from their home well before the youngest two were born. It makes me much less understanding of this possibility; I’ve dated divorced dads and their relationships with their children/children’s moms are the kind of thing you really have to put effort in to ignore. I know she has just experienced a terrible loss, but I can’t be sympathetic to her missing problems/red flags years ago when the oldest was living with them.

That AZ removed one child and left the others there with no monitoring is not a surprise but could have saved a life.

I’m not positive there were others there when the oldest was removed. I think ES may have been pregnant with her oldest/CS’s second, possibly early enough along that CPS wouldn’t have been aware. I can see how it could have slipped past them in sort of a Swiss cheese scenario.

 

[Normancita]

I understand your thoughts.. I still feel for her though.. This is a man she has had three children with, there must be something that binds them together. She's the bread winner, working long hours and likely doing more than her share when not working.

This is on the grown man.. the one that brought four children into the world and couldn't be bothered to keep them alive which should be the bare minimum.

I strongly disagree.

The wife's knowledge of her husband's alcoholism and the associated dangers he posed to their children cannot be overlooked. While there are clearly emotional and dysfunctional ties between them, her decision to remain in such a situation knowing the risks directly endangered their children's safety.

In fact, It's essential to hold BOTH of them accountable. Texts prove that she was keenly aware of his harmful behaviors and failed to act to protect their children.

In short: When you know better, you do better. When you know more, you do more.

SHE KNEW. SHE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
She is complicit, IMO.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Such a tragedy. I heard of a good recommendation for parents with little ones they place in a car seat behind them. Always take off one of your shoes and leave it on the back seat. The shoeless foot will remind you to check your precious cargo when you arrive at your destination- no matter how rushed and distracted you are.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Charlot123]

I’m struggling with a lot of what was said between the parents. Presumably the father stayed behind to speak with LE while the mother traveled to the hospital to be with her daughter.

If so then why would they be texting back and forth? Maybe I’m just too old school to appreciate the way younger people communicate these days. I would expect the priority to be the child rather than blaming and apologizing through texts.

Then again it might have been very clear that the girl was deceased and so the focus was on blame?

This case has me scratching my head. As a former SAHM I know for sure my husband would be too angry at me to even chastise me and vice versa. All MOO

I think we are all old school. It is faster to type and millennials do it easily. I think ES was having all at once - anger, grief, remorse - mixed together. So she couldn't keep it bottled inside at that moment.

 

[Charlot123]

I don’t think there was any question about Parker being deceased. She had skin slippage on her face and lesions (burns) all over. Brain death occurs at 107*, Parker was 108.9 IIRC. Of course with a baby you always hope but I think that poor baby had been dead for quite awhile. MOO

Warning graphic One thing I noticed in the autopsy, Parker didn’t have any damage to her hands & fingers like I would’ve expected if she had been awake. No bruises from struggling to get out of the car seat. No self inflicted wounds, or her own skin under her nails from pinching/scratching herself. No mention of her hair being pulled out. All things I’ve read kids have done when locked in a hot car. This gives me a small amount of hope that she didn’t wake up before succumbing to the heat. I always hope this is the case for these poor babies, although I realize it is seldom true.

I can see them texting, they wouldn’t have had a chance to speak to each other before taking Parker to the ER. They probably use text when communicating while she’s at work. I’m guessing they didn’t think about LE taking their phones as evidence. I wouldn’t have been able to text or speak to my husband under their circumstances - I highly doubt I would’ve asked the judge to let him come home, jail would’ve been safer for him.

This is so horrible. One hopes that maybe, just maybe, seizures happened at a lower temperature and she didn't feel, essentially, burning.

I can understand how forgotten baby syndrome happens (not this case, but in general), but I can also understand the parents who commit suicide after that.

I don't know what mother is thinking about. Maybe it is shock. She saw it all... I think she may be shutting down to cope.

About this father, I think too many things but really, something is simply missing there.

 

[Charlot123]

I have noticed in many pictures CS has what appears to be a growth on his right lower lip? Now I’m thinking it may be a piercing? Just curious as to what it could be:

View attachment 522542

Harrowing autopsy update after girl, 2, was left to die in hot car

Parker Scholtes was found dead in the blue 2023 Honda Acura SUV after about 4.15pm on July 9 outside the family home in Marana, north of Tucson, Arizona .

www.dailymail.co.uk

There is something strange about this photo. The two older girls have adult eyes.

 

[Bounceycat]

There is something strange about this photo. The two older girls have adult eyes.

What does that mean? They look normal to me.

 

[Bounceycat]

I’m not positive there were others there when the oldest was removed. I think ES may have been pregnant with her oldest/CS’s second, possibly early enough along that CPS wouldn’t have been aware. I can see how it could have slipped past them in sort of a Swiss cheese scenario.

I don't think the math works out though. Oldest daughter is 16. Next oldest (first child with ES) is 9. So #1 was approx 7 when the second child arrived. She said in the interview she began to be left in the car at age 6/7. She wasn't removed until she was older and self harming.