Nanny Finds Arizona Dad Dead Before He Was Due to Surrender. Then She Rushes to Save His Daughters

A family nanny discovered Christopher Scholtes dead inside his Phoenix area home on the morning he was due to surrender to authorities after pleading guilty to the hot car death of his 2 year old daughter. A newly surfaced 911 call captures the confusion that followed as the nanny realized Scholtes’ other young daughters were still inside the house.

Scholtes, 38, was found unresponsive in the garage around 5:20 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2025, according to reports. The nanny called 911 and told the dispatcher what had happened while also trying to get the children out of the home.

The call offers a new look at the frantic moments after his death. The nanny told the dispatcher that she was trying to get the girls outside because fumes from the garage were spreading into the home, saying that ‘everything is kind of chaotic,’ according to the newly released recording.

The Nanny Was Trying to Get the Girls Out of the House

The emergency call came only hours before Scholtes planned to appear in court and surrender to authorities. He had pleaded guilty weeks earlier and was facing 20 to 30 years in prison under his plea agreement.

After pleading guilty in the case involving his 2-year-old daughter, Parker, Scholtes was due to begin serving his sentence. Instead, he died before the court appearance, and the Pima County Attorney’s Office confirmed his death on Nov. 5.

Authorities later determined that Scholtes died from carbon monoxide toxicity, and the medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. Police had responded to the Phoenix home shortly after 5 a.m. that morning.

The 911 recording focuses on what was happening inside the house rather than the circumstances of his death. The nanny was concerned about getting the girls to safety, with emergency responders heading to the home as she and other family members tried to get everyone outside.

Scholtes Had Pleaded Guilty in His Daughter’s Death

Parker died on July 9, 2024, after being left inside a vehicle outside the family’s home in Marana, Arizona. Temperatures reached 109 degrees that day, and investigators determined that the toddler remained in the vehicle for several hours.

Scholtes initially told police that he had left Parker in the vehicle for about 30 minutes with the air conditioning running because she was asleep. Investigators later found that the vehicle’s automatic shutoff feature meant the air conditioning would not continue indefinitely.

He pleaded guilty to second degree murder and intentional or knowing child abuse in October 2025. Under the agreement, Scholtes would serve 20 to 30 years in prison, surrender on Nov. 5, and face sentencing later that month.

Scholtes died before the court could sentence him, ending the criminal case. The newly surfaced 911 call, however, provides a firsthand account of the chaos at the home on the morning his family was preparing for his court appearance.

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