A disturbing discovery outside the Azusa Police Department has raised serious questions about police procedures and oversight. The decomposing remains of 37-year-old Eric Valencia were found inside an unlocked, out-of-service patrol car parked directly in front of the station, days after his release from custody.
Prior to his death, Valencia had been arrested on 20 March for suspected driving under the influence (DUI) and child endangerment while driving with his children. But how he ended up inside a police vehicle after his release remains unclear.
Body Found Inside Unsecured Police Vehicle
Body camera footage released by the Azusa Police Department shows the moment a man was found dead inside an out-of-service and unlocked police vehicle.
A police officer found the man while prepping cars for washing, who was later identified as Eric Valencia, 37 years old, in the backseat on the early morning of 26 March. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene minutes later.
BREAKING🚨: Officers discovered the decomposing body of 37-year-old Eric Valencia in the backseat of an unlocked, out-of-service patrol car parked right in front of the Azusa Police Department station.
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) April 1, 2026
Valencia had been arrested on March 20 for suspected DUI (BAC nearly 2x the… pic.twitter.com/614kKaxujK
Before his decomposing remains were found on the 26th, Valencia was arrested on 20 March for DUI and child endangerment as he drove his car with his son. In a separate video released by the authorities, Valencia was seen speaking with the police.
In the video, an officer tells Valencia, 'You seem a little nervous ...' to which Valencia responds, 'This is my first time ... my boys ... you know, I get scared for them.'
Days later, Valencia was released from jail on 23 March with his property and a lunch from the jail with no signs of distress.
There are no personal details available about who exactly Valencia is, but his family said that the 37-year-old father lived less than a mile away and had no known medical conditions.
How did He End Up Inside the Vehicle?
After he was released, a surveillance video from the 23rd shows Valencia wandering up to the car parked outside the station just before 1:00pm.
Over the course of several minutes, the video shows Valencia opening the back door of the SUV, climbing inside, and eventually shutting the door behind him. That was the last time police believed Valencia was seen alive. Authorities also said that Velencia had a functioning cellphone but never called for help.
Valencia's family spent days finding and trying to contact him. They even reported him missing to the Azusa police.
'They never even called me back. No one at the police department ever called me back to let me know that he was found on Thursday morning. The only phone call I got was from the coroner's investigator to let me know he was already passed,' a family member said.
Now, Valencia's family wants answers about what happened and how he ended up dead after he was released from police custody, and they will continue to press the police department for answers.
Meanwhile, Chief Rocky Wenrick said at a press conference that there 'were no signs of major trauma observed on Mr. Valencia, his body.'
Azusa police say Valencia's cause of death is still under investigation by the medical examiner and acknowledged that the patrol car should have been secured.
