An Arizona man has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a car for three hours, during which temperatures soared to 109 degrees, according to authorities.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, was taken into custody on Friday and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse, as announced by Marana police in a news release.

Scholtes informed the police that upon arriving home on Tuesday afternoon, his daughter was asleep in her car seat, and he did not want to wake her, the release states. He said he left her in the car seat with the vehicle running in the driveway and the air conditioner on.

After doing so, Scholtes went inside the home, police said.

The toddler’s mother arrived home shortly afterward and discovered her daughter in the car, which had stopped running and had its air conditioner off, authorities said.

Despite the mother's and law enforcement officers' attempts at lifesaving measures, the girl was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Police obtained surveillance footage from nearby homes, determining that Scholtes had left his daughter in the car for approximately three hours, the release indicated.

The incident occurred during a historic heat wave affecting parts of the country, with temperatures reaching 109 degrees on that Tuesday.

An affidavit alleges that Scholtes told authorities it was not uncommon for him and his wife, a medical doctor, to leave their daughter in a running car while parked in the garage, NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported. He explained that he parked in the driveway because exercise equipment occupied the garage space.

Scholtes also mentioned that he usually receives alerts if his car becomes too hot or shuts off, but he did not receive any notifications on the day of the incident, according to the affidavit.

Police emphasized the incident as a "stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles."

"The temperature inside a vehicle can rise rapidly, even on relatively mild days, leading to potentially fatal outcomes within minutes," police warned. "We urge all parents and caregivers to remain vigilant and take every precaution to ensure the safety of their children."

As of now, it is unclear whether Scholtes has legal representation.