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Inset: Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez (GoFundMe). Background: The Miami Dollar Tree where Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was reportedly found naked and dead inside of a freezer (WPLG).
A tragic incident unfolded at a Miami Dollar Tree last year, leading to the death of a Florida anesthesiologist and mother of two, Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez. Her family has now filed a $50 million lawsuit, alleging that she was found lifeless inside a freezer after becoming trapped. The lawsuit further accuses a store manager of instructing an employee not to review surveillance footage and failing to take necessary actions to locate or assist Sanchez.
The Miami Police Department confirmed to Law&Crime that Sanchez, 32, was discovered on December 14 inside the Dollar Tree located at 968 SW 8th Street in Little Havana. According to a police scanner report, a 911 dispatcher relayed, “Complainant found a naked female in the cooler of the store,” as reported by local CBS affiliate WFOR.
A spokesperson for the Miami PD stated, “We received a call from an employee reporting a deceased woman inside the business, specifically in the freezer.” While no foul play is suspected, authorities stress that the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Upon arrival at the Dollar Tree, officers discovered Sanchez’s body in a freezer positioned in a restricted area meant solely for employees. Police indicated there were no signs of forced entry into the freezer, leaving questions about how she ended up there. Employees reportedly saw Sanchez enter the store on the Saturday night before the store’s closure.
It was noted by police that Sanchez did not make any purchases and was seen heading towards the freezer in the back storage room. The circumstances surrounding her tragic death continue to be a subject of investigation.
“While an invitee on the premises, Sanchez became trapped inside a walk-in freezer located within the Dollar Tree Store and thereafter sustained fatal injuries,” her family’s legal complaint says.
“At all times material, Dollar Tree owed Sanchez and other invitees a nondelegable duty to exercise reasonable care in the ownership, operation, inspection, maintenance, and supervision of the Dollar Tree Store, including but not limited to: maintaining the premises in a reasonably safe condition; protecting invitees from foreseeable risks of harm; securing and safely maintaining dangerous instrumentalities, including walk-in freezers; implementing and enforcing reasonable safety policies and procedures; and taking reasonable action to locate and assist invitees after being placed on notice that a customer was missing or unaccounted for,” the complaint alleges.
The store manager, Yanelkis Gonzalez, was “placed on actual notice” that Sanchez was missing and “had not exited” the Dollar Tree, with him being asked by a customer to “review available surveillance footage” to try and locate Sanchez, according to the complaint. But he allegedly refused.
“Gonzalez affirmatively instructed the Dollar Tree employee not to review the surveillance footage,” the complaint says.
Gonzalez is also accused of “failing to implement, train employees on, and enforce reasonable closing-time policies and procedures to ensure that all patrons and invitees, including Sanchez, had exited the Dollar Tree Store prior to closing,” per the complaint. Sanchez’s family also says the freezer in question was faulty and store workers failed to prevent shoppers from “accessing” it.
“Dollar Tree was negligent and breached its duties of care to Sanchez by … failing to install, maintain, and/or implement adequate safety mechanisms within the walk-in freezer, including but not limited to an internal emergency release, latch, or alarm, to prevent entrapment,” the complaint concludes.
Dollar Tree management could not be reached for comment by Law&Crime on Sunday.
Originally from Nicaragua, a GoFundMe launched for Sanchez’s family describes her as a “devoted” doctor and “beloved” mother who “dedicated her life to medicine, earning recognition as a Anesthesiologist specializing in congenital heart disease whose work brought hope and healing to countless children and families,” the description says.
“Her compassion, skill, and commitment to saving young lives defined both her career and her character,” the GoFundMe adds. “Beyond her profession, she was a loving mother to two children, who remain in Nicaragua and were the center of her world. Her strength, warmth, and unwavering love for her family will always be remembered.”