A California man was found dead in the back seat of a police cruiser, days after being released from custody. The circumstances around his death remain a mystery, as his family seeks answers from local authorities.
‘He was pronounced deceased here, you know, in front of the police station. Doesn’t make any sense to any of us.’
Eric Valencia, 37, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment. He was released from custody due to a lack of evidence.
His family filed a missing persons report after they were unable to locate him.
On March 26, Valencia was found unresponsive in the back seat of an out-of-service police car parked in front of the Azusa Police Department station.
“It is not uncommon for vehicles to be out of service and parked for days and/or weeks at a time, as we have a large fleet of emergency vehicles,” Chief of Police Rocky Wenrick stated. “The vehicle had been left unlocked, and it should have been secured.”
Wenrick stated that the department was “not aware that the individual had entered the vehicle,” and that the individual was not in custody when he gained access to the vehicle.
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Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images
The police department retained an outside investigative firm to conduct an independent review of the incident. The department is also conducting a criminal investigation into the incident.
“We don’t know what took place here,” one of Valencia’s family members told KTTV. “He was pronounced deceased here, you know, in front of the police station. Doesn’t make any sense to any of us.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has not yet conducted an autopsy, and the cause of death remains unknown.
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Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images
It is unclear how long Valencia was in the police car before his body was discovered.
Camera footage reportedly shows Valencia entering the back seat of the unlocked vehicle.
The department is expected to hold a press conference late Monday afternoon.
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