Florida Cop's Wife Dies After Getting Trapped Inside Police Vehicle

KEY POINTS

An investigation is underway into the death of the 56-year-old woman
Authorities have not ruled on the cause or manner of death
It remains unclear as to why the woman went inside the car; however, sources say she might have been looking for something

The wife of a Florida cop died after getting trapped in the backseat of his patrol SUV at the family’s Miami Shores home, authorities confirmed Monday. The incident took place Friday and the victim was identified as Clara Paulino.

Investigators are treating the death of the 56-year-old as a horrific accident. Detectives suspect that Clara climbed into the backseat of her husband's marked Ford Explorer SUV in search of something. She later got trapped inside as the doors somehow closed and a self-locking mechanism kicked in.

At the time of the incident, Clara's husband -- Aristides Paulino, who’s been a Miami cop for 25 years -- was reportedly inside the home sleeping after finishing a midnight shift. Sources told the Herald that Aristides apparently left the SUV unlocked in the driveway of their home.

Authorities said the woman's fingerprints were found all over the interior of the Ford Explorer.

“Clearly, she was panicked and trying to get out,” a law-enforcement source told the Miami-Herald, adding she was not carrying a cellphone and a safety partition did not allow her to reach over the front seat to honk the horn for help.

“It’s literally a cage,” one Miami cop said of the patrol vehicle’s rear seat.

Aristides, 58, and the couple’s son found Clara’s body after several hours. It’s unclear why she went into the SUV.

“It’s very preliminary,” a police spokesman, Lt. Carlos Rosario said of the investigation to the Herald. “There’s still a lot of work to be done. But right now, it’s an unclassified death.”

Aristides and Clara Paulino married 38 years ago, the paper said.