“Distracted, Forgetful, or Criminally Negligent?” Inside the Death of 2-Year-Old Parker Schultes and the Charges Against Her Father

On a scorching July afternoon in Tucson, Arizona—where temperatures reached 109 degrees—2-year-old Parker Schultes died in the driveway of her family’s home. Her death, tragic on its face, soon revealed layers of disturbing details that transformed the case from a heartbreaking accident into a first-degree murder prosecution.

What happened to Parker on that day, and what investigators uncovered afterward, has horrified the public, raised legal questions, and left even seasoned attorneys struggling to reconcile the facts.

A Father’s Story—and a Timeline That Didn’t Hold Up

When officers arrived at the Schultes home, Christopher Schultes told them Parker had been in the car for no more than 30 to 45 minutes. He said he had left the air conditioner running and believed she was still sleeping when he brought groceries inside. To him, it was an accident—one he repeatedly insisted was out of character.

But police quickly learned that Christopher’s account didn’t match video evidence. Security cameras from multiple neighbors showed he returned home at 12:52 p.m. He had told police he didn’t get home until around 2:45 p.m.

Parker wasn’t in the car for 45 minutes.

She was in the car for over three hours.

In 109-degree heat, with the vehicle parked in direct sunlight, that miscalculation cost the toddler her life.

Body camera footage captured the moment Parker’s mother arrived home and realized what had happened. Her screams, her plea to be with her child, and her disbelief were visceral—evidence of a family plunged into immediate devastation.

The Interviews That Changed Everything

The day after Parker’s death, detectives conducted forensic interviews with her sisters. What the children said shifted the entire trajectory of the case.

One sister immediately told investigators: “Dad accidentally left Parker in the car.” She explained that her parents instructed her to tell detectives that her father was “a good dad” and that the tragedy was “just an accident.”

But as the interview continued, disturbing patterns began to emerge.

The child went on to say:

Her father becomes distracted easily.

He plays video games often—specifically Super Mario and games involving killing scorpions and aliens.

When he plays, he sits on the couch and doesn’t always notice what else is going on.

The car made a “whir” sound like it was running, but she believed it was actually off.

Their father had left them in the car 59 times before.

He had once left her in the car as a baby and again as a toddler, and she had to yell “Daddy! Daddy!” to get his attention.

Perhaps the most damning detail:
She said her mom repeatedly told their dad to stop leaving the kids in the car.

Her older sister confirmed many of the same points. Both children described distraction, video games, and a pattern—not a single tragedy.

A Pattern Investigators Could Not Ignore

Police seized Christopher’s PlayStation as evidence. They found:

The console was powered on

A controller and headset were on the coffee table

A half-empty, room-temperature Dr Pepper sat nearby

A pillow was positioned to view the TV comfortably

To investigators, the setup suggested someone had been playing recently.

A text message from Christopher’s wife further complicated matters. In it, she wrote that she had told him “many times” not to leave the children in the car.

With repeated warnings, documented patterns, and testimony from the children themselves, prosecutors determined this was not just forgetfulness—it was criminal negligence.

The Charges: First-Degree Murder and Child Abuse

Christopher Schultes now faces:

First-degree murder under the felony murder rule

Child abuse

Arizona law defines two forms of first-degree murder: premeditated killing and felony murder. Prosecutors chose the latter. Because the underlying felony—child abuse—allegedly caused Parker’s death, they elevated the charge to first-degree murder.

Legal experts say the decision is rare but justified under the circumstances.

“This isn’t the typical ‘forgotten baby’ case,” criminal defense attorney Kurt Altman explained. “There appears to be a pattern. And he had been warned.”

A Defense With Few Good Options

Altman noted that, from a defense perspective, the case is extraordinarily difficult.

To avoid a murder conviction, attorneys would need to argue:

Christopher had no criminal intent, not even recklessness

He believed the child was safe in a running vehicle

His forgetfulness was a tragic, not criminal, lapse

But in Arizona’s 110-degree heat, leaving any child in a car—even with the air conditioner on—is extremely dangerous. Add in the long-established pattern of leaving the kids unattended and the conflicting statements, and a jury may be unwilling to view this as a mere lapse in judgment.

If convicted, Christopher faces life in prison.

A Family Divided by Tragedy

At the bail hearing, Parker’s mother pleaded for Christopher’s release, calling it a terrible mistake. Her stance may influence prosecutors, but it will not determine the outcome. Arizona law gives victims’ families the right to be heard—not the power to direct charges.

An Unimaginable Loss

Parker’s death was preventable. Whether the courts ultimately see it as a tragic failure or a criminal act, the consequences are irreversible: a 2-year-old girl is gone, and her family faces a future shattered by grief, guilt, and the weight of a moment that cannot be undone.