Clara Paulino, 56, was found dead inside her husband's patrol car in their driveway on Friday afternoon.
Police in Miami are investigating the death of a 56-year-old woman whose body was found inside of her husband's parked police car on Friday. Clara Paulino was found dead inside the patrol SUV belonging to her husband, Miami-Dade police officer Aristides Paulino, the Miami Herald reported.
According to the Herald, investigators are treating Paulino’s death "as a horrific accident."
"Detectives suspect that Paulino — as her husband slept inside the home after finishing a midnight shift — climbed into the backseat of his [SUV] in search of something, then could not escape when the doors somehow closed and a self-locking mechanism kicked in," the Herald added.
The temperature was well over 90 degrees in the area on Friday, and children, adults and pets can all be seriously injured or die if they are trapped in hot cars, even for a short period of time. It's believed Paulino had been inside the car for several hours, according to the Herald.
Paulino's death is now under investigation by the department's homicide bureau, Miami-Dade Detective Argemis Colome, a police spokesperson, told Inside Edition Digital.
"The incident is being handled as an unclassified death investigation, and no further information is available at the time. The investigation remains active," Colome added.
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