A tragic oversight has led to the death of a two-year-old girl after she was found unresponsive in a car that reached a scorching 109F (42C).
The details are still murky on how long the toddler was alone in the car, but it is confirmed she was left in the sweltering conditions for at least 30 minutes.
Her distraught father, Chris Scholtes, told police that he left the car running with the air conditioning on while he quickly ran inside the house. However, upon his return at 4pm, he found his daughter unresponsive, with the AC turned off.
Frantically, he dialed 911, and she was immediately taken to Banner University Medical Center Tucson, where her mother, Erika Scholtes, works as an anaesthesiologist.
The police confirmed, “Resuscitation efforts were being done, and the child was immediately transported to the hospital. Unfortunately, the child was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
The little girl, named Parker, was nearly three years old and would have celebrated her birthday in October, but sadly she passed away on Tuesday, July 11.
As investigations continue, Marana Police Captain, Tim Brunenkant, spoke to the media, revealing that it was still being determined whether Parker’s death was accidental.
“We don’t know the circumstances, we are trying to find that out. When those temperatures arise especially this week when it’s 110. It’s just tragic,” he explained.
“We are doing the interviews, and we are trying to determine if this was a mistake, ‘Is it an accident? Is that possible?’ We’ll have to determine that,” Brunenkant added, acknowledging the unknown duration the toddler was in the car and when the AC ceased to function.
He stressed the importance of never leaving children unattended in vehicles, especially during the heat, noting that this is a preventable tragedy that occurs far too often each summer.
In a similar heartbreaking incident in Arizona, another young girl lost her life due to a fatal oversight by her father.
She had been left strapped in her car seat for about three hours in temperatures topping 98F (36C), forgotten by her father who had dropped her siblings off at school and returned home to work.
Horrifyingly, it wasn’t until the child’s mother, Angela, called to check on them that her father, Scott, realized his devastating mistake.
The family had decided to keep Charlotte out of preschool for the week, a decision that ended in unimaginable loss.