The death of a Miami Police officer's wife who became trapped in the back seat of his department-issued SUV for hours was caused by heat stroke and has been ruled an accident, according to a medical examiner's report.
The report from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner on the death of Clara Paulino was released Tuesday.
Paulino died on Aug. 21 after becoming trapped in the SUV outside the Miami Shores home she shared with her husband, Officer Aristides Paulino.
Officials said the SUV had a cage that separated the back seat from the front seat and had bars on the windows. It also had doors that lock and could only be opened from the outside.
It's unknown exactly why she had gone into the car or how long she was trapped inside, as temperatures reached into the 90s that day.
The autopsy report said Clara Paulino had also suffered from diabetes, thyroid disease and hyperlipidemia, and had undergone a kidney transplant 13 years ago.
Miami Police officials said Tuesday that Aristides had retired from the department.
