2-year-old boy dies in 42-degree hot Honda SUV as father reportedly plays video games outside: report

By the time first responders found the child’s body in the Honda SUV, the car’s temperature had risen to 42.7 degrees Celsius, according to an autopsy report released on Wednesday, the New York Post reported on Wednesday, citing the Arizona Republic.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, allegedly left his daughter, Parker Scholtes, to sleep inside an air-conditioned Honda SUV for three hours in July. The car was parked outside the family’s home in the suburb of Marana City, Arizona.

The Arizona Republic quoted police as saying that the mother of the two-year-old child was not at home at the time. When she returned home, she found her child lying unconscious inside the car. The air-conditioning was not on in the car at that time.

The mother performed CPR on the child until first aiders arrived at their home. According to the report, the child was later rushed to a medical center where doctors declared her dead.

The father was arrested last month and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.

In a similar incident, a five-year-old boy in Omaha, Nebraska, US, died after his foster mother left him in a hot car for seven hours.

America is in the grip of severe heat

Many parts of the US are experiencing extreme heat this summer, with Arizona being one of the worst hit. According to weather forecasts, temperatures in Arizona’s capital Phoenix are expected to reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) this weekend.

Research has shown that people living in mobile homes are particularly at risk in Phoenix’s intense heat.

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