PHOENIX (AZFamily) — An Arizona man at the center of a high-profile case for his young daughter’s death in a hot car last summer was found dead in Phoenix on Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed.

The body of Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead around 5 a.m. in a home near 7th Street and Northern Avenue . Scholtes, who was accused of leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car outside a Marana home last year, accepted a deal last month where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse.

The deal held a sentence of no more than 30 years in prison for both counts. He was slated to be sentenced on Nov. 21.

On July 9, 2024, Marana police and firefighters responded to a home near Paseo Rancho Acero and Paytons Court and found the toddler unresponsive in th

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