Mumbai, July 17: A father in US state of Arizona has been charged with murder and child endangerment offences following the tragic death of his 2-year-old daughter, who was left in a hot car for over three hours. Authorities reported that the father, distracted by video games, had a history of leaving his children unattended in the vehicle, leading to the fatal incident amid triple-digit temperatures in Arizona.

According to a report by USA Today, the father, Christopher Scholtes, left the daughter in the car, got busy putting away the groceries and started playing video games. When the wife arrived home, she found the daughter unresponsive in the car and the air conditioner off. Upon reaching the hospital, the child was declared dead. US Hot Car Death Case: Foster Mother Charged As Minor Boy Dies After She Leaves Him in Vehicle for 7 Hours.

"Did not want to wake her up," court documents showed Scholtes as saying. Scholtes left the car running with air conditioning and "wanted her to remain in the vehicle while she slept", according to his statement as per the police's document. The documents also indicate that Scholtes knew the air conditioning system would automatically shut off after 30 minutes. US: Woman Charged With Manslaughter After Leaving Eight-Year-Old Daughter in Hot Car While She Worked in Charlotte.

According to court documents, Scholtes returned home around 12:53 pm, just a minute after his two other children, ages 5 and 9, had arrived. Video surveillance showed him walking alone from the vehicle to the house. "Video surveillance obtained does not show Scholtes checking on his vehicle or daughter," court records say.

The other kids admitted that Scholtes had a habit of leaving his children unattended in the car. Scholtes apologised to his wife over a text writing: "Babe I'm sorry! ... Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can't be real." According to a report by an ABC affiliate, authorities seized multiple electronics, including a PlayStation, as part of the ongoing investigation. Additionally, Marana Police Department detectives took Scholtes' 2023 Acura MDX.

Scholtes was charged with murder and child endangerment. The judge set bail at USD 25,000, despite his wife's plea in court for leniency, describing the incident as "a big mistake."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2024 04:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).