A California family is desperately seeking answers following the tragic discovery of a man found dead inside an unlocked police vehicle, mere days after his release from custody.

Eric Valencia, aged 37, was found lifeless in the back seat of a patrol car belonging to the Azusa Police Department. His body was discovered at 4:51 a.m. on March 26 when an employee preparing to clean the car noticed Valencia. Police Chief Rocky Wenrick shared details of the incident during a press conference, highlighting the circumstances surrounding this unsettling event.

Upon discovery, emergency responders from the Los Angeles County Fire Department quickly arrived at the scene and confirmed Valencia’s death. Chief Wenrick noted, “At this stage of the investigation, there were no signs of major trauma observed on Mr. Valencia.” The revelation that Mr. Valencia had been reported missing to the Azusa police department just hours before his discovery only deepens the mystery surrounding his death.

Valencia’s troubles began on March 20 when he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and felony child endangerment. It was reported by Wenrick that at the time of his arrest, Valencia’s blood alcohol content was “more than twice the legal limit.” This detail adds another layer of complexity to the timeline leading up to his untimely death.

Valencia was seen on surveillance footage released by the department walking out the door and down the station steps. Although Wenrick said he lived just a mile south of the police station, he was seen walking northbound toward some parked patrol vehicles. 

He was captured on surveillance video getting into the backseat of one the vehicles, which had been pulled from service for maintenance, at 12:39 p.m. He was never spotted leaving the vehicle, Wenrick said.

“Investigators also determined,” Wenrick added, “that Mr. Valencia had a functioning cell phone with him in the backseat of the patrol unit when he was discovered.”

Investigators were unable to find any evidence to suggest that he had tried to call 911. 

It’s unclear how Valencia died. Senior public information specialist for The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner Kelly Vail told Oxygen via email that although an examination on the body has been completed the cause and manner of death had been deferred and was not able to be determined at this time.

“The deputy medical examiner requests additional testing and/or studies in order to make a determination,” Vail added. “Due to the ongoing death investigation, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner cannot disclose what testing and/or studies were requested. Deferred cases can take a few months before a cause of death is determined.”

An investigation is underway to determine whether the police department’s policies and procedures were followed and, according to Wenrick, an independent firm has been hired to review the incident. 

“We’re gonna do our best in the investigation to figure out why Mr. Valencia walked out and got in the vehicle,” he said, according to The Los Angeles Times. “Hopefully we’ll be able to provide closure to the family and for our own sake of knowing why that decision was made and why he did what he did.”

Police vehicles are not normally able to be unlocked from the back seat.

Valencia’s sister-in-law Julia McCormick told NBC 4 the family had been concerned for several days and had gone to the police department to try to file a missing persons report.

“Come to find out that he was here in a car the whole time. The whole time,” she said. “We want to know what happened. Please, please, we want answers.”

In a tragic turn of events, an Ohio doctor, Francis J. Kearse III, chose to end his life rather than confront the serious legal charges against him. Kearse, aged 43, was facing accusations related to soliciting sex from a 16-year-old girl last year. With his death, the legal proceedings have come to an abrupt halt, leading to the dismissal of the case.

Originally scheduled for an arraignment on Tuesday morning, Kearse’s absence was instead marked by the grim news of his suicide. Prior to these allegations, he had been associated with Baptist Health as an emergency medicine provider, though his name has since been removed from their listings.

In Hamilton County, Kearse faced multiple charges, including compelling prostitution, compelling prostitution involving a minor, trafficking in persons, and importuning. Furthermore, he was also facing legal challenges in Butler County, which will similarly be dismissed in light of his passing.

Reflecting on the unexpected conclusion to the case, Judge Christopher McDowell remarked in court, “Kearse escaped justice the hard way,” underscoring the somber nature of the situation.

Kearse “escaped justice the hard way,” Judge Christopher McDowell said in court on Tuesday.

The indictment against Kearse says that he began communicating with the 16-year-old via Snapchat last year and gave her gift cards before telling her he needed “some kinda payback.” The two met on October 19, and he gave her two vape pens and $15 in exchange for sex.

Kearse was arrested on March 11, and the judge released him on his own recognizance. He shot himself to death on Friday.

His medical license remained active after his arrest, although he was clearly removed from his job with Baptist Health. Local media apparently didn’t contact them or get an answer if they did.

A US News & World Report directory said he also had emergency medicine privileges at Deaconess Memorial Medical Center in Indiana.

A tragic incident unfolded in Florida when a 37-year-old man allegedly broke into a family home and fatally shot a 2-year-old girl, leaving her grandparents injured. The suspect, Clifford Long, faces charges of first-degree murder for the death of Bles’Syn Lightner, along with two counts of attempted murder.

According to the Melbourne Police Department, officers responded to a shooting at a residence on Poplar Lane around 10:40 p.m. on August 29. Upon arrival, they discovered a 48-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man with serious gunshot wounds. Despite their injuries, both were conscious. Tragically, the officers found young Bles’Syn in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to her forehead. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

At the time of the incident, four additional adults and two other children were present in the home, but they were unharmed. Bles’Syn had recently celebrated her second birthday, just four days before the shooting. She lived in the home with her parents, who were attending a concert at the time, and her grandparents. Investigators noted there were no signs of forced entry, and initially, the surviving victims claimed they did not know the assailant.

However, during later interviews, the male victim identified the shooter as Clifford Long, who is reportedly known by the nickname “Goof.” The investigation continues as authorities work to piece together the events leading up to this heartbreaking crime.

But in subsequent interviews, the male victim identified the shooter as Long, who is known as “Goof.”

“It is worth noting, Clifford Long’s appearance identically matches [the victim’s] description of the suspect as being a tall, thin, light-skinned [B]lack male with a head shaped ‘like a football,’” investigators wrote.

The surviving male said he saw Long shooting his granddaughter before he stepped over the girl’s body and started firing at him, according to the affidavit.

Long later allegedly admitted to his brother that he killed the girl, saying “They wouldn’t come off that money,” indicating that the possible motive for the shooting was related to a robbery or drugs. He also allegedly told his brother that he didn’t mean to kill Bles’Syn.

About a week after the shooting, Long and his brother allegedly stabbed a homeless man over 30 times and chopped off his finger with a machete over a drug-related dispute.

When interviewed by cops about the alleged murder, he denied involvement and claimed he was at a gas station at the time of the crime. He said he knew Bles’Syn’s father but did not know the family very well, though he heard about what happened.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t shed a tear but my condolences to the family,” he said, per cops.

Long has been in the Brevard County Jail for the machete attack since September. He remains behind bars without bond. His next court date is set for May 20.