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One year after Miami Beach Police Sergeant David Cajuso was killed in a motorcycle crash, his widow is opening up about raising their three young children without him, the unanswered questions surrounding his death and how she's turning her family's heartbreak into hope for others.

“There's no guidebook for navigating what I'm navigating in my life,” Eileen Cajuso said.

For Eileen, that means figuring it out day by day. No instructions. No guidebook. Just a lot of questions.

“I want to know what happened that day, and I don't know,” she said.

One year after her husband, Miami Beach Police Sergeant David Cajuso, was killed in a motorcycle crash in northwest Miami-Dade on Oct. 28, 2025, Eileen is still searching for answers.

“I'm gonna leave no stone unturned, and I want to make sure that this investigation is just, and that we look at every aspect of the accident,” she said.

That day, the Miami Beach Police Department lost a 10-year veteran. His parents lost their only son. And Eileen lost her love of seven years and the father of their three young children. Their youngest was just a year old at the time.

“Life is different for them, and kids, they really do see and recognize a lot more than we think that they do,” Eileen said.

Answering their toughest questions. Stepping away from a career she loved. And embracing a new reality as a mother of three. It's a life Eileen never imagined having to navigate without her husband.

David dedicated his career to serving others. But to Eileen, his greatest devotion was always to his family and faith.

“Dave served in the church, and our kids go to church every week, before and after, during, and I do rely a lot on God's promises,” she shared.

A moving memorial was held for Sgt. David Cajuso, a Miami Beach Police motorman who was killed in a motorcycle crash along Interstate 75. NBC6's Ari Odzer reports

During an exclusive interview with NBC6, anchor Sheli Muñiz asked Eileen how she has managed to navigate the past year.

“I've tried to focus on what's good and noble and admirable," Eileen said. "I've tried to focus on searching for life because there is still life to be lived.”

It's not just the milestones David is missing, including their oldest child's pre-K graduation and their youngest child's first words, but the ordinary, everyday moments that no longer feel the same.

Still, Eileen finds comfort in seeing pieces of her husband live on through their children.

“They carry a lot of pieces of Dave in their heart and their personalities. So I see a lot of him in them, and it's a gift to be able to see that,” she said.

Through it all, Eileen says it's also been a gift to witness the outpouring of love and support from the South Florida community, especially David's colleagues at the Miami Beach Police Department.

From decorating their home for the holidays to taking the children to swim lessons, fellow officers have continued showing up for the Cajuso family.

“They've been so great. They've been there for my kids, for his parents and sisters, and even communication is daily,” Eileen said.

For a family navigating an unimaginable loss, those gestures have provided comfort and a continued connection to David.

Miami Beach Sgt. David Cajuso comes from a first responder family, with his father a firefighter for Miami Beach Fire Rescue. Cajuso Sr. was visibly overcome with emotion when talking about how he would miss his son.

The support that has poured into Eileen's home is now pouring back out through weekly Bible studies she hosts for others seeking faith, encouragement and community.

“A home that experienced so much heartbreak and devastation is now a home where people come to find hope and comfort, and I think that is part of carrying Dave's legacy forward,” she said.

Eileen has also made it her mission to help others by openly sharing her family's new reality on social media, offering a glimpse into the grief, faith and resilience that have shaped their lives since David's death.

While she may never have all the answers to her children's questions or her own, Eileen is determined not to let heartbreak define her family's story.

“People should know that you don't have to be in the dark by yourself. And so I feel like if I, even in my own darkness, can bring light to others, then it gives my pain purpose,” she said.

As family and friends gathered to remember David on the first anniversary of his death, Eileen continued seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding the motorcycle crash.

She has hired an attorney to look into what happened and hopes anyone who witnessed the crash or has photographs from that day will come forward with information.

One year after Miami Beach Police Sergeant David Cajuso was killed in a motorcycle crash, his widow is sharing her story for the first time about raising their three young children, the questions that remain and the faith helping her navigate life without her husband.

“This past year has been the most difficult year of my life,” Eileen Cajuso said.

On Oct. 28, 2025, Eileen lost the man she had built a life with.

Her husband, veteran Miami Beach Police Sergeant David Cajuso, crashed his motorcycle on the Gratigny interchange in northwest Miami-Dade. He had just started his shift.

“Before October 2025, I was a mom, a wife, and a career woman, and overnight everything changed,” Eileen recalled in an exclusive interview with NBC6.

Cajuso was 33 years old and had served with the Miami Beach Police Department for a decade.

His parents and sisters were left grieving an unimaginable loss, while Eileen faced a new reality raising their three young children without him.

“Dave was so grateful for his life, you know, and I admired that about him because no matter how crazy a morning was or how busy a day was,” she recalled.

For Eileen, losing her husband also meant letting go of the life she once knew.

“I didn't just lose my husband. I had to let go of a career to take care of my kids. I had to take on responsibilities that I never thought I would have to do on my own, and I had to navigate a life that I never planned for myself,” she said. “I've had to learn to be the mom that my children need, while still grieving the wife that I loved being.”

Fellow officers and family members are mourning a veteran Miami Beach Police officer who was killed in a motorcycle crash on Tuesday. Tributes have been pouring in on social media for Officer David Cajuso, who lost his life in the crash along Interstate 75.

As Eileen navigates her own grief, she is also helping her children understand the loss of their father.

She recalled a heartbreaking conversation with her daughter, who began noticing that her family looked different from those of her classmates.

“Cam said to me, ‘Mama, all the other kids have a dad, and we don't.’ For a moment, I stayed quiet because these questions are hard. There's no guidebook,” Eileen said.

She described how she tried to reassure her daughter that even though her father was no longer physically present, he would always be her dad.

“I said to her, ‘Well, that's not true. You do have a dad.’ And I said to her, ‘I drop you off at school, and I'm gone. Does that mean that you don't have a mom?’” she said.

Eileen says the same relationship with God that was so central to her marriage with David is what continues to carry her through her darkest moments.

Eileen Cajuso, with whom Sgt. Cajuso shared three children, remembered her husband's leadership and commitment to their family during a moving memorial at Hard Rock Stadium. She said though he proudly carried the badge, his priority was always his family.

It's a faith South Florida witnessed firsthand shortly after her husband's death.

NBC6's helicopter captured an emotional moment as Eileen stood in front of her husband with her hands lifted in prayer, a moment she later described on social media as her “hardest fought hallelujah.”

Looking back at the video, Eileen said she still struggles to comprehend how she found the strength.

“When I look at that video, it's kind of like a disbelief. Like when I watch that video, I'm like, ‘Who is she, and how did she do that?’”

For Eileen, faith has taken on an even deeper meaning since losing David.

“It's easy to have faith when life is good, but what about when you had to bury the life that you knew? That's when your faith is truly tested,” she said. “So for me, I just feel like I'm relieved that in the worst moment of my life, when I had every reason to turn away, that I still turned to Him, and I hope that my kids one day can see that.”

Grounded in her faith and lifted by David's family and fellow officers, Eileen is finding meaning in the midst of heartbreak.

She says the support from the Miami Beach Police Department has been unwavering, with colleagues becoming an extended family to her and the children.

“There's a lot of people, and people that I never even knew before in that department, that came into our lives, and they've never let go of my hand. They've been so great,” she shared emotionally.

Through it all, Eileen is learning that gratitude and grief can exist together.

“It doesn't mean that the pain isn't there and that I'm not in the desert, because I am. But even in the desert, flowers still grow, and so I'm just looking for those flowers.”

The family marked the first anniversary of David's death with a church service in his honor.

As Eileen continues navigating life without her husband, she remains focused on raising their children, preserving his legacy and finding hope through heartbreak.

Questions also remain about the circumstances surrounding the motorcycle crash that claimed David's life.

After what started as a welfare check in Miami Beach on an elderly woman, officers were shocked and visibly upset by what they saw: 19 dogs living in deplorable conditions, including four puppies found inside a cooler covered in urine and feces.

The discovery happened Tuesday in the 4300 block of North Michigan Avenue. In the bodycam, officers are seen making their way through a backyard littered with garbage. Then, they spot the four tiny puppies inside an uncovered cooler surrounded by urine and feces

“Puppies are alive? I don’t know, one looks like it’s almost breathing, but…” the officers are heard saying.

According to Miami Beach Police, the puppies were about four weeks old, had no access to food or water, and appeared lethargic and in need of medical care.

Investigators say the puppies were among 19 dogs found at the home, where an elderly woman was also living.

“What we saw inside was heartbreaking to say the least," said Miami Beach Police spokesperson Christopher Bess. "The elderly female, in addition to 19 dogs, were living in deplorable conditions, four of which were puppies that were hanging on dear life.”

The police report described trash throughout the home and yard, animal waste scattered inside and outside, no electricity and sections of flooring that had caved in.

The city says the conditions were so severe, the home was deemed unsafe for anyone to occupy.

“You had holes in the floor, holes in the ceiling, broken windows and feces everywhere," Bess said. "He took advantage of our victim and he’s paying the price as we speak."

Police say 50-year-old Jorge Morillo lived at the residence intermittently and cared for the elderly woman for about five years and was responsible for the dogs.

Body camera video also captured Morillo being handcuffed on the front porch and escorted to a patrol car. He was charged with one count of animal cruelty.

All 19 dogs were removed by Miami-Dade Animal Services and taken for veterinary evaluation and medical care.

The elderly woman was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center for further evaluation.

The home remains off-limits under a city-issued order to vacate.