The family of an Azusa man who died after inexplicably getting into a parked police car sought answers Sunday after officials announced the hypothermia was the cause of the 37-year-old’s accidental death.
Eric Valencia, a father of two who lived a few blocks from the police station, was found dead in the back seat of the patrol vehicle around 4:50 a.m. March 26 in the 700 block of North Alameda Avenue, police said.
Valencia was arrested March 20 on suspicion of DUI and child endangerment and was released from custody March 23 pending additional investigation, according to the Azusa Police Department, which released body-camera and surveillance footage showing Valencia being arrested and processed at the station.
The Department also released surveillance video showing Valencia’s release from custody. He is seen carrying a bagged lunch along with a fully charged cell phone, police said. The video shows Valencia climbing into the back seat of a police SUV parked near the station awaiting maintenance.
Valencia was found three days later when an officer tried to move the vehicle.
“The vehicle had been left unlocked, and it should have been secured,” Wenrick said.
Azusa Police Chief Rocky Wenrick told reporters Valencia’s blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he was arrested. However, when released he showed no sign of distress.
Wenrick said Valencia’s relatives filed a missing-person report March 25, but police were not aware at the time that he was inside the vehicle parked nearby.
The Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner ruled the death to be an accident and the cause hyperthermia, which occurs when a person’s core temperature rises above normal because the body absorbs or produces more heat than it can expel.
“If it was hyperthermia that caused Eric’s death, it’s extremely sad to hear that Eric suffered tremendously in the back of that Azusa Police Department patrol car for three days before he died,” attorney Michael Carrillo told City News Service on Sunday.
“Eric’s family is still grieving this loss and they are shocked and saddened by this finding,” Carrillo’s statement continued. “This could have been prevented by the simple task of locking the patrol car or looking inside it. We also note that the autopsy did not include a toxicology screening. We will be investigating why that is, because it leaves significant unanswered questions that need to be addressed.
“We will continue to gather all the details and await the final autopsy report but until then, his family asks for the community’s prayers for Eric and his family especially his two sons who are without their father for the rest of their lives.”
The Police Department has retained an independent outside law firm to investigate Valencia’s death, Wenrick said.
Police asked anyone with information about the case to call Azusa Police Department Detective Lt. Steve Sears, 626-812-3200.