Arizona Dad's Alleged Secret Affair Exposed After He Kills Himself Over Daughter's Fatal Hot Car Tragedy

The heartbreaking case of an Arizona father who admitted leaving his two-year-old daughter to die in a sweltering vehicle has taken a startling new turn.

The man, who took his own life only hours before he was due to begin a lengthy prison sentence, was the subject of neighbourhood rumours that he had been involved in a secret relationship with the married woman who lived next door.

The allegation appears in police documents and was first reported by the New York Post.

Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead in the family SUV in his Phoenix garage shortly after 5 a.m. on 5 November, according to a police report. It was the same morning he was scheduled to surrender to authorities and start serving a 20 to 30 year sentence for second degree murder and intentional child abuse in the death of his daughter, Parker.

Officials believe he died from carbon monoxide poisoning although the medical examiner has not released an official ruling.

Neighbours Describe a 'Special Relationship' Between Scholtes and Woman Next Door

Police records show that multiple neighbours independently told investigators they believed Scholtes had grown unusually close to 37 year old sales executive Katelyn Schacht, who lived in the house adjoining his.

Residents described what they called a 'special relationship' and said the community had reached a shared belief that the two were involved in an affair.

One neighbour said Scholtes' children often wandered the street without supervision and claimed Schacht regularly defended him when others raised concerns. Another resident, Kristine Verdugo, told police she doubted Schacht would be fully forthcoming with investigators because of her connection to Scholtes.

A third neighbour said people in the cul-de-sac sometimes organised informal search efforts when the children or pets escaped while Scholtes was asleep or distracted.

Police interviewed both Schacht and her husband shortly after Parker's death. According to the report, Scholtes' older daughters ran to Schacht's house crying and explained that their mother was performing CPR and calling for help.

Neither Schacht nor Scholtes' wife, Dr Erika Scholtes, has commented publicly on the allegation.

Suicide on the Day He Was to Report to Prison

Scholtes' death occurred sixteen months after the fatal incident that resulted in the charges. On a July afternoon in 2024, during a severe Arizona heatwave, Scholtes returned home with Parker just before 1 p.m. and left her strapped inside the family's Acura SUV.

He then went inside the house, where court records say he drank beer, watched pornography and played video games.

Surveillance footage and Scholtes' own statements confirmed he lost track of time. Parker was found unresponsive after more than three hours in the vehicle. Temperatures inside the SUV reached nearly 109 degrees Fahrenheit by the time first responders arrived.

In messages preserved in police files, Erika told her husband repeatedly that drinking and reckless behaviour had created dangerous situations for their children.

After Parker's death, she confronted him again by text: 'I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?' Scholtes replied: 'Babe, I am sorry. Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this cannot be real.'

Long History of Concern

Neighbours told investigators they had witnessed troubling patterns long before Parker's death. They described seeing Scholtes' young children outside the home unsupervised while he appeared to be asleep or distracted.

One resident said the behaviour was so frequent that people in the neighbourhood regularly checked on the children.

In a civil lawsuit filed shortly before Scholtes died, his 17 year old daughter from a previous marriage alleged that he had left her alone in vehicles for hours at a time beginning when she was younger than seven. If true, the claim suggests a pattern of neglect that spanned more than a decade.

A Family Left in Pieces

Throughout the criminal case, Erika Scholtes supported her husband in public. She endorsed his bail and travel requests even as prosecutors prepared to send him to prison. However, private messages in the case file show a marriage under years of strain.

Scholtes' sudden death has left behind a shattered family, a neighbourhood consumed by questions and a case that continues to deepen in complexity.

What began as an unthinkable tragedy has expanded into a story of marital turmoil, alleged infidelity and a community trying to understand how so many warning signs could go unheeded for so long.