Podcast Summary: "One of Their Own" – Episode: The Investigation

Host: KPBS (Katie Hyson)
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the death of San Diego police officer Ciara Estrada, found with a gunshot wound between her eyes in her bathroom after a New Year’s Eve party. While her department quickly ruled the death a suicide, her family questions the thoroughness and impartiality of the investigation, raising concerns about conflicts of interest, destroyed evidence, and overlooked details. The story explores questions about police accountability when investigating one of their own and the struggle families face in search of the truth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Visiting Ciara’s Apartment & Immediate Family Response

Timestamps: 00:42–07:01

• The host meets Ciara’s parents (Julie and Larry) and sister (Cheyenne) at Ciara’s old Mission Valley apartment, describing the eerie environment and the family’s emotional reactions to visiting the site.
• Julie: Emotional distress upon learning of the loss, perceiving the site as haunted and expressing skepticism about someone else living there since Ciara’s death (01:21).
• The family recalls how police presence blocked access to the apartment, and Brandy (Ciara’s other sister) desperately screamed for Eric, Ciara’s boyfriend (also a police officer), demanding answers:

  "Where the fuck is Eric?" — Brandy (quoted by Julie at 04:50)

• Discovery that Ciara’s dog, Trevor, was locked in his crate for nearly a full day raises questions for the family about the timeline and circumstances of her death (06:09).

2. Investigation Began with a Suicidal Presumption

Timestamps: 07:01–11:13

• The Estrada family was told from the beginning the death was a suicide, with little sign of considering homicide or alternative explanations.
• They recall police saying an autopsy wasn’t necessary because it wasn’t a homicide (07:11).
• Det. Paul Parker (death investigation consultant) criticizes starting with suicide as an assumption:

  "You're supposed to start at a homicide. Everything is a homicide until you prove otherwise." — Paul Parker (08:00)

3. Questions Around Evidence Handling & Conflict of Interest

Timestamps: 11:13–16:38

• The family was told to say goodbye to Ciara without being allowed to see her body (11:17).
• Police disposed of the blood-soiled bathmat themselves, rather than preserving it as potential evidence—a procedure Paul Parker finds unusual unless lacking suspicion of homicide (13:07).

  "I'd never known the police to clean a scene up." — Paul Parker (13:07)

• Family wonders if actions intended as kindness ended up destroying evidence:

  "We were trying to do something nice. But in retrospect, they're destroying evidence." — Larry (14:21)

• The family notes police and Eric (Ciara’s boyfriend) were co-workers, raising major concerns about investigative impartiality.

  "You don't handle cases of a police officer. There's too much conflict of interest here." — Julie (16:30)

4. SDPD Perspective & Recordkeeping

Timestamps: 08:53–09:42, 17:23–18:03

• SDPD Captain Judd Campbell stands by the investigation, describing a complete deployment of homicide resources and expressing sympathy for the family but confidence in the suicide determination:

  "If someone tried to hurt our police officer..., we want to know it... That's not what happened here." — Capt. Judd Campbell (08:53)

• Campbell claims full transparency with the family:

  "We have been as completely transparent and communicative with the Estrada family." — Capt. Judd Campbell (17:23)

5. Family’s View of Ciara’s Relationship & Gender Bias

Timestamps: 18:03–19:15

• The family objects to police characterizing Ciara as naïve or emotionally unstable, arguing that such bias colored both the investigation and the willingness to probe Eric’s role.
• Julie:

  "Don’t compare Sierra to your damn teenage daughter." (18:50)

6. Should Police Investigate Their Own?

Timestamps: 19:15–20:05

• Paul Parker suggests future recommendations could include outside agencies investigating police officer deaths for neutrality:

  "Perhaps you bring someone else in to do it, just like they did with their officer-involved shootings..." — Paul Parker (19:45)

7. Handling of the Weapon & Scene

Timestamps: 20:05–21:32

• The police removed the gun before the medical examiner arrived—a procedural red flag:

  "If she was obviously dead, should the gun have been moved? ... Absolutely should never have been touched." — Paul Parker (20:13)

• Details of Eric’s (boyfriend’s) emotional state are relayed secondhand. The family remains troubled by the investigators’ dual relationships with both the victim and a potential suspect.

8. Autopsy Details & Physical Evidence

Timestamps: 22:39–28:47

• The family notes the gunshot wound’s location—between the eyes—seems odd for suicide, statistically rare, especially for women.

  "That's another red flag that I should not stop investigating." — Julie (23:19)

• Studies are cited: only 7% of head-shot suicides are forehead entries, and women are much less likely to shoot themselves in the head (27:53).
• Paul Parker tempers this, stating female suicides by gunshot to the head aren’t unheard of in his extensive experience (28:19).
• The awkward mechanics required for a self-inflicted shot in that location are discussed and tested by the family, who ultimately conclude it’s possible but unlikely.

9. Could Grappling Explain the Scene?

Timestamps: 29:21–30:29

• The location of the shell casing and gun soot on both hands could indicate a struggle or an unorthodox suicide grip. Parker doesn’t see other evidence (e.g., wounds, torn clothing) to support grappling.

10. Questions About Bruising, Medical Examiner’s Certainty, and Record Access

Timestamps: 30:29–32:31

• Bruising found in the autopsy is not deemed significant for struggle by the consultant.
• Autopsy ruled suicide but the examiner told the family she couldn’t rule out homicide, reflecting the inherent uncertainties in such cases. Certainty required for cause-of-death rulings is only a preponderance (just over 50%), which could shift if new information arises.

  "So the 50.0001." — Paul Parker (31:46)

11. Struggles for Transparency

Timestamps: 32:31–33:13

• The Estradas had to fight for records and were initially told they could not obtain the autopsy or case files. Access only came slowly, after repeated questioning.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Where the fuck is Eric?" (Julie, quoting Brandy as they reach the apartment) — 04:50
• "You're supposed to start at a homicide. Everything is a homicide until you prove otherwise." — Paul Parker, death investigations consultant — 08:00
• "I'd never known the police to clean a scene up." — Paul Parker — 13:07
• "Don’t compare Sierra to your damn teenage daughter." — Julie — 18:50
• "Perhaps you bring someone else in to do it, just like they did with their officer-involved shootings." — Paul Parker — 19:45
• "That's another red flag that I should not stop investigating." — Julie — 23:19
• "So the 50.0001." — Paul Parker (explaining the level of certainty needed to rule cause of death) — 31:46

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:42–07:01 – Family visits Ciara's apartment, initial shock and disbelief
• 07:11–08:32 – Police tell family the death was a suicide from the outset
• 08:53–09:42 – SDPD Captain describes "thorough" investigation
• 11:17–14:21 – Issues around evidence: denied viewing body, police disposed of bathmat
• 16:30–16:38 – Family highlights conflict of interest
• 18:03–18:50 – Gender and personal bias in police interpretation
• 19:45–20:05 – Discussion about best practice for police officer-involved death investigations
• 22:39–23:19 – Family notes suspicious wound location at viewing
• 27:53–28:47 – Studies/statistics on suicide wound placement
• 31:46–32:31 – Consultant explains how cause of death is officially determined
• 32:46–33:13 – Family’s struggle for records

Tone & Language

The episode’s tone is investigatory, intimate, and at times emotional. Voices of the family are raw, candid, and occasionally angry; the host is empathetic but probing; expert commentary is measured and professional. The language avoids sensationalism and walks carefully around legal implications, distinguishing opinion and fact.

Summary

This episode scrutinizes the SDPD investigation into Ciara Estrada’s death, highlighting questions of impartiality, evidence handling, and persistent family doubts. Despite SDPD assurances, family members see the process as tainted by familiarity and bias, with procedural shortcuts and the rapid suicide ruling leaving them unconvinced. Consultants and studies suggest elements of both plausibility and uncertainty in the forensic evidence. As the family fights for transparency and justice, the episode lays bare the challenges faced by survivors seeking independent, thorough investigation when tragedy strikes a member of law enforcement. The story concludes with the family still fighting for answers—and the suggestion that broader reform may be needed.