Attorney Michael Carrillo said Eric Valencia’s family believes his death “could have been prevented"
Credit: Azusa Police Department/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Eric Valencia was found dead in an unlocked police car on March 26, three days after being released from custody following an arrest
- His cause and manner of death has since been released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner
- Meanwhile, Valencia’s family is calling for an investigation
A California coroner has revealed the cause and manner of death for a dad who was found dead in an unlocked police car last month.
Eric Valencia was arrested on suspicion of DUI and child endangerment on March 20, reported CW affiliate KTLA and NBC affiliate KNBC-TV. He was held over the weekend before being released from custody on March 23
About a minute after being released from custody around 12:30 p.m local time, surveillance footage showed Valencia entering the back seat of Patrol Unit No. 37, according to KNBC-TV.
Three days later, on March 26, he was found dead in the backseat of the vehicle outside the Azusa Police Department around 4:50 a.m., according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled Valencia’s death an accident, listing the cause of death as hyperthermia, according to online documents viewed by PEOPLE.
Hyperthermia is described by Yale Health as “a condition characterized by an abnormally high body temperature, typically resulting from prolonged exposure to high temperatures, excessive physical activity, or certain medical conditions.”
In a statement, attorney Michael Carrillo said Valencia’s family “is still grieving this loss” and that they are "shocked and saddened by this finding,” per the Times and Tribune.
Carrillo also said Valencia’s death “could have been prevented by the simple task of locking the patrol car or looking inside it.”
“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,” Carrillo continued.
Carrillo and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Azusa Police Chief Rocky Wenrick previously said a breathalyzer test showed that Valencia’s blood-alcohol level was double the legal limit at the time of his arrest, according to KCBS-TV.
At an April press conference, Wenrick said no force was used on Valencia during his arrest or while he was in custody, during which time he was “provided three meals a day, and was checked every 30 minutes for health and welfare concerns," reported KNBC-TV.
The police chief told reporters that Valencia showed no signs of major trauma and had a functioning cellphone, but admitted that the unlocked vehicle "should have been secured."
It remains unclear why he entered the vehicle.
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Valencia’s family has since called for an investigation into the incident and Carrillo has noted that the autopsy “did not include a toxicology screening,” according to the Times and Tribune.
“We will be investigating why that is, because it leaves significant unanswered questions that need to be addressed,” the attorney said.
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