Home / Disasters and Accidents / Woman Found Dead in Dollar Tree Freezer
Woman Found Dead in Dollar Tree Freezer
12 Feb
Summary
- Woman's death in freezer ruled accidental by medical examiner.
- Hypothermia and ethanol use contributed to her death.
- She was visiting South Florida from Nicaragua.
An autopsy report has revealed the cause of death for a woman found inside a Dollar Tree freezer in Miami in December 2025. Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, 32, died from environmental hypothermia, with ethanol use identified as a contributing factor. Her death was officially ruled an accident by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office.
Sanchez, who was visiting South Florida from Nicaragua, had been out with friends and family on the evening of December 13, 2025. Authorities noted she had been drinking at a restaurant and appeared intoxicated. She entered the Dollar Tree store with her sister around 7 p.m., but her sister lost track of her.
Store staff were unable to access surveillance footage at the time. Early the following morning, a store employee discovered Sanchez's body in a walk-in freezer. Emergency services were called, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident shocked local residents.
