Family and supporters gathered as investigators worked to explain how Eric Valencia entered an unused patrol car.
AZUSA, Calif. — Family members and supporters gathered Friday night outside the Azusa Police Department after Eric Valencia was found dead in the back seat of an unlocked patrol car parked in front of the station, a discovery that has unsettled the community and prompted multiple investigations.
Valencia was identified by local officials and media reports as 37 years old. Authorities said he was discovered early Thursday in an out-of-service police vehicle that had been left outside the department while awaiting maintenance. His cause of death had not been released by Friday, leaving mourners with few answers as police, outside investigators and the county medical examiner continued separate reviews of what happened.
The sequence now under review began days before Valencia’s body was found. Police Chief Rocky Wenrick said Valencia had been arrested the previous Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment, then released Monday. By early Thursday, according to police, he was inside the rear seat area of an unused patrol car parked outside headquarters. Officers said they had not known he entered the vehicle. Video later reviewed by investigators showed him getting into the back seat, according to police statements carried by local outlets. He was found at about 4:50 a.m., and firefighters who responded to the station were unable to revive him.
For Valencia’s relatives, the unanswered questions have become the center of their grief. ABC7 reported that loved ones gathered Friday night to remember his life, while other local outlets said family members described him as a husband and father who had recently celebrated his birthday. The vigil unfolded just steps from the station where the investigation was taking shape. Mourners brought candles and stood near the front of the building, turning the sidewalk into both a memorial and a visible expression of frustration over a death that happened in such an unusual setting.
Police have publicly acknowledged one basic failure: the vehicle was unlocked. Wenrick said in a written statement that the patrol unit should have been secured. He also said it is not unusual for out-of-service emergency vehicles to remain parked for extended periods because the department maintains a large fleet. Still, authorities have not explained how long this car sat outside before Valencia entered it, whether officers checked it regularly, or whether any alarms, cameras or other safeguards were in place around the vehicle. Those gaps have made the case as much about procedure as about cause of death.
Several agencies now have roles in the aftermath. The Azusa Police Detective Bureau is handling the initial criminal investigation. Wenrick said JL Group, an outside firm, was hired to conduct an independent administrative review into the circumstances surrounding the death and the unsecured patrol car. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, through its Justice System Integrity Division, has also been notified and will receive access to evidence, surveillance footage and reports. The county medical examiner, meanwhile, has deferred a final ruling on Valencia’s cause of death pending additional work.
The result is a case moving on two tracks at once: a family mourning in public and an official system trying to reconstruct a timeline from records and video. Investigators have not said whether foul play is suspected, and they have released few details about Valencia’s movements after his Monday release from custody. Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Lt. Steve Sears. Until more findings are released, the vigil outside the station stands as the clearest picture of where the case now lives, between public grief and official uncertainty.
As of Friday night, Valencia’s death remained under investigation, with his medical examiner findings pending and outside reviewers expected to examine department procedures in the next stage of the case.
Author note: Last updated March 28, 2026.