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Disturbing new child abuse claims have emerged against a father who killed himself the day he was to be jailed for leaving his toddler to die in a hot car. Christopher Scholtes, 38, was found dead early Wednesday morning at the $1million home in Phoenix he shared with his wife Dr Erika Scholtes. He was supposed to begin a 20 to 30-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of his daughter Parker, two, who died in July 2024, hours later. Scholtes was facing more than jail time when he took his own life, as his teenage daughter from a previous relationship sued him and Erika last week. The 17-year-old, who is mother to a two-year-old toddler, accused her father and stepmother of 'emotional distress, assault, battery and fraud'. She also claimed she was physically and sexually abused and her father called her a mistake and expressed regret at ever having her. The girl described the alleged abuse to the Daily Mail through her former guardian Lindsey Eisenberg. It has also been detailed in her lawsuit and other official documents. 'She has made allegations that Chris drugged her so he could sexually assault her,' Eisenberg said. 'He was physically abusive multiple times, constantly called her a mistake and piece of s**t, would limit her food, which was dangerous, and had her locked in her room most of the time.' Department of Child Services investigators wrote in their reports that the teen told them 'she would frequently be slapped, thrown, have her hair pulled, have her head pushed into walls, and be picked up by her shirt or her arm'. Eisenberg said the girl was hellbent on continuing the lawsuit against Erika even after her father's death. The girl is also said to be worried for her half-sisters - Scholtes and Erika's two surviving daughters - who are aged 10 and six. 'She wants to pursue the civil suit against Erika even more and fight her for custody of her little sisters when she's 18 in two weeks,' she said. 'She has very mixed feelings about her father dying - she's happy, sad, a whole bunch of emotions... more relieved and at peace than sad. 'But it gave her some closure because that man has caused so much chaos and drama and heartache in her life.' The teen's lawsuit explained she lived with Scholtes and his new wife from 2016 to March 2021 when she was eight to 13 years old. During that time, she claimed they subjected her to 'physical assault, verbal degradation, intimidation, neglect, and exposure to unsafe and traumatic living conditions'. 'Defendants were aware of the plaintiff's emotional vulnerability and deliberately engaged in conduct intended to cause her fear, humiliation, and psychological trauma,' the lawsuit claimed. 'As a result, Plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, post-traumatic stress, and long-term psychological harm.' The lawsuit was filed on October 28 and neither Scholtes nor Erika responded by the time Scholtes killed himself. Scholtes lost custody of the girl in March 2021 and she was given back to her mother until her death last February, when Eisenberg was granted custody. Eisenberg is no longer the teen's guardian, but was empowered to file and manage the lawsuit on her behalf under Arizona law until she turns 18. Most of the accusations were directed at Scholtes, but Erika 'aided, abetted, and/or directly participated in the abuse of Plaintiff and in maintaining a violent and unsafe home environment', the lawsuit claimed. 'The murder of Parker Scholtes was the culmination of a long pattern of abuse, neglect, and violence that defendants inflicted upon the children in their care.' Erika strongly supported her husband during his court case, even calling Parker's death 'a mistake' and begging for him to be released on bail at his first hearing. There has never been any suggestion of wrongdoing on her part and she has never been charged with any crime. She was at work as an anesthesiologist at Banner University Medical Center the day Parker died in the family Acura, and found her body when she arrived home. Scholtes left Parker napping with the air-conditioning on and the car running outside his then-home in Marana, Arizona, during 90F weather. But he lost track of time while he played on his PlayStation, drank booze and watched pornography for more than three hours, and the vehicle shut off - allowing the air inside to heat up to a lethal 109F. The lawsuit also claimed Scholtes filed a fraudulent conservatorship for the his eldest daughter in 2020 and unlawfully collected government benefits and financial support in her name for years. Erika allegedly 'aided, abetted, and/or benefitted' for the scheme that the complaint described as 'beyond all bounds of decency tolerated in a civilized society'. The allegedly fraudulent benefits totaled more than $2,000 and there was a criminal investigation open into the matter at the time of Scholtes's death. Scholtes was accused of the scam despite living in a comfortable $1 million home. The lawsuit included a summary by the Arizona Department of Child Safety outlining how alleged abuse was reported nine times. 'Yet DCS failed to take any protective action,' the complaint stated. The girl in June 2014 claimed Scholtes slapped her and squeezed her arm leaving bruises, and in January 2017 that he hit her. Then in September 2017 he allegedly slapped her so hard she lost her breath, and 'the child is left to manage their diabetes without parental oversight'. Another report in February 2019 claimed he 'yells at the child excessively and tells the child things to break them mentally, such as calling them by foul names and referring to them as 'a mistake'.' Then in December that year she claimed he again called her derogatory names and 'has not allowed the child to engage in therapy'. DCS reports escalated in 2020 with her supposedly being temporarily kicked out of the house that April, and in November both her and Erika were verbally abusive. An entry for September noted 'the child was experiencing suicidal ideation due to their father and stepmother treating them differently than the other children in the home and calling the child names'. Finally, the teen claimed that December that Scholtes refused to fill her medications or set up behavioral health services she needed. The DCS summary stated that each time, the girl's claims were 'unsubstantiated' and she was 'safe in the home'. Another report was received in June, almost a year after Scholtes was arrested, with 'allegations of neglect and physical abuse to a sibling by their father and stepmother'. 'The report also includes an allegation of sexual abuse to the sibling by the father, Christopher Scholtes, that was alleged to have occurred in 2020,' the document stated. The Daily Mail has contacted Dr Erika Scholtes for a response to the allegations made in this lawsuit.
