The officer Erwin Fernández, an agent of the Doral Police Department with 13 years of service, was found dead on Wednesday morning in the southwest area of Miami-Dade County inside his own patrol car.
He was found inside a Ford Police Interceptor Utility parked on a gravel road between several farms in the rural area of Redland, according to reports by Telemundo 51.
The agents of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office responded to the call shortly after 6:20 in the morning, after receiving a report about an unconscious man in the area of SW 157 Avenue and SW 160 Street.
Fernández -a Hispanic individual whose nationality of origin has not been disclosed- was married and was the father of three children aged 11, seven, and five years, who are now orphans.
He worked as a school resources officer at Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School, where he was known for his closeness to the children and families in the community.
He also participated in the Police Explorers program in Doral, an initiative to teach teenagers about leadership and civic service.
The research and the unanswered questions
The Homicide Division of the Sheriff's Office has taken on the case, although detectives confirmed that they do not suspect any criminal activity, according to El Nuevo Herald.
Sources that worked with Fernández told the local press that the agent "took his own life", although the Office of the Medical Examiner had not officially determined the cause of death by the time the first news articles were published.
The authorities did not specify whether Fernández was on duty at the time of the incident, nor did they explain why his vehicle was in that rural area.
A community in mourning
The Mayor of Doral, Christi Fraga, expressed the collective sorrow of the city in a statement: "Today we bid farewell not only to an exemplary public servant but to a man who honored his uniform with integrity, humility, and a deep sense of duty."
Fraga also acknowledged the perplexity of those who knew him: “There are losses that leave us without answers. Only God knows why such valuable people depart so unexpectedly.”
The chief of the Doral Police, Matthew Castillo, noted that the loss profoundly affects the entire agency and that the bonds among colleagues transcend the professional realm to become family relationships.
Downtown Doral Charter School announced that it will make grief counselors available for students and staff.
The debate on police mental health
The death of Fernández reignited the debate on the mental health of first responders, a topic that gained particular visibility in South Florida when former Miami-Dade Police Chief Alfredo “Freddy” Ramírez survived a suicide attempt in July 2023 and spoke publicly about his crisis months later.
The retired sergeant Juan Carlos Prellezo, an advocate for police mental health, pointed to the culture of silence as one of the main obstacles.
"The firefighters and the police believe that they have no emotion or feelings," he warned in statements reported by Univision.
The Miami-Dade Commissioner René García urged first responders not to bear their crises alone, mentioned the First Alarm Foundation and the 988 hotline as available resources, and concluded with a direct message: "There is no shame; let's talk."
A campaign on GoFundMe named "Support Officer Erwin Fernandez Family" was launched to provide financial relief to his wife and children; at the time of this report, it had raised $4,475 from 47 donations.
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