The family of a doctor discovered deceased inside a freezer at a Florida Dollar Tree is pursuing legal action against the store’s manager and the retail chain, seeking $50 million in damages.
Dr. Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, 32, was found unclothed and lifeless in an employee-only freezer at the Miami-Dade Dollar Tree on the morning of December 14, where she had remained overnight.
A lawsuit, initiated on Wednesday on behalf of Sanchez’s husband and their two children, claims she was accidentally trapped in the freezer overnight. The suit argues that the store failed to take necessary precautions to prevent her from accessing the area, as reported by NBC 6 News.
The family is demanding a jury trial and over $50 million in compensation for their loss.
The legal document states that Sanchez entered the Dollar Tree located at 968 Southwest 8th Street on December 13. An employee discovered her inside the walk-in freezer the following day.
According to investigators, Sanchez entered the store before it closed for the day, did not make any purchases, and proceeded to a restricted area where the freezer is located, remaining there overnight.
‘We’re not sure the state of mind of that woman, we’re not sure if she intentionally went into the freezer on her own will or if it was something completely accidental,’ Miami Police spokesperson Kiara Delva told the outlet.
The lawsuit claims she then became trapped in the freezer and that the manager, despite being ‘placed on actual notice’ that Sanchez was missing and that she had not left the store, ‘failed to take reasonable action to locate or assist’ her.
The family of Dr Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez (pictured), who was found dead inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree in Florida, is suing the store manager and the chain for $50 million
On the morning of December 14, Sanchez was found naked and unresponsive inside an employees-only freezer at a Dollar Tree in Miami-Dade, where she had spent the night
The mother-of-two’s mysterious death has left her family and friends struggling with unanswered questions.
‘We don’t know how this happened either. And we’re not getting any answers,’ Sanchez’s cousin, Daniela Cortez, told the New York Post.
Investigators have since ruled out foul play and are investigating the case as an ‘unclassified death,’ the Miami Police Department told the Daily Mail last month.
The anesthesiologist, who was visiting relatives in Miami from Nicaragua, left her son and daughter at home, according to the Miami Herald.
Police were called to the Dollar Tree the morning after the incident when an employee discovered Sanchez’s lifeless body in the freezer around 8am.
Investigators obtained video from a family member and from the store on the morning the investigation started, which allegedly showed Sanchez entering the employees-only area by herself.
‘This is why we know there was no foul play,’ a spokesperson for the department told People. ‘She went into the freezer on her own.’
Earlier this month, an officer told WPLG News that the freezer door was not blocked when Sanchez was inside and that it had an ’emergency release’ allowing it to be opened from the inside.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of Sanchez’s husband and two children, alleges that she became trapped overnight in the employees-only freezer and that the store failed to prevent her from entering (pictured: a freezer used by customers inside the store)
Sanchez’s family is seeking a jury trial along with more than $50 million in damages
An officer told WPLG News that the freezer door was not blocked when Sanchez was inside and that it had an ’emergency release’ allowing it to be opened from the inside
That same officer confirmed to the outlet that mental illness was not a factor in her death.
Dollar Tree customers were left in shock after last month’s grisly discovery.
‘It’s something painful, a family heartbroken now because of the death of a person, and we don’t know what truly happened,’ one patron told WPLG News.
Margarita Puid, another shopper, echoed the same concern to CBS News.
‘I got to be honest with you, I’m totally devastated,’ she told the outlet. ‘I can’t believe in the Dollar Tree you’d find a dead body.’
Another customer, Hugo Morales, added: ‘I think it’s crazy. I’ve never head of something like that in my life.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail following her death, a Dollar Tree spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of this tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones. We are cooperating fully with the authorities at this time.’
The young, hardworking doctor specialized in congenital heart disease, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help cover funeral costs in Nicaragua.
Miami Police spokesperson Kiara Delva told NBC 6 News: ‘We’re not sure the state of mind of that woman, we’re not sure if she intentionally went into the freezer on her own will or if it was something completely accidental’
Earlier this month, an officer confirmed to WPLG that mental illness was not a factor in Sanchez’s death
‘Her work brought hope and healing to countless children and families. Her compassion, skill, and commitment to saving young lives defined both her career and her character,’ the page read.
‘Beyond her profession, she was a loving mother to two children, who remain in Nicaragua and were the center of her world,’ it added.
‘Her strength, warmth, and unwavering love for her family will always be remembered.’
As of Friday evening, the fundraiser had raised $18,372 of its $20,000 goal to cover repatriation, transportation and a ‘proper funeral and resting place’ for Sanchez.
