Video obtained by Miami police allegedly captures some of the final moments before a mother of two entered a freezer inside a Dollar Tree store and died.
The Miami Police Department has said that 32-year-old Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was found dead inside a freezer at the discount store on SW 8th Street on Dec. 14. According to authorities, a store employee discovered her body around 8 a.m. local time that morning.
A spokesperson for the police department said investigators obtained video footage from both a family member of Sanchez and from the store on the first day of the investigation.
“This is why we know there was no foul play,” the spokesperson said, adding that Sanchez entered the freezer on her own.
Her cause and manner of death remain pending.
According to reports by WPLG and the Miami Herald, video from a family member allegedly shows Sanchez before she entered the store. Police have previously stated that she went into a restricted, employee-only area before entering the freezer, where she remained overnight.
A police officer who later spoke with WPLG said mental illness was not a factor in her death.
Despite the investigation, questions remain for Sanchez’s family. About a week after she was found, her cousin Daniela Cortez told the New York Post that relatives were still searching for answers.
“We don’t know how this happened either,” she said. “And we’re not getting any answers.”
In a statement released earlier, a Dollar Tree spokesperson said the company was fully cooperating with authorities and acknowledged the tragedy, offering condolences to Sanchez’s family and loved ones. The company did not immediately respond to a more recent request for comment.
Sanchez was a doctor from Nicaragua who dedicated her life to medicine, according to Stefany Pereira, who organized a GoFundMe following her death. She was an anesthesiologist specializing in congenital heart disease and was known for helping children with complex medical needs.
“Her compassion, skill, and commitment to saving young lives defined both her career and her character,” Pereira wrote, later adding that Sanchez’s “strength, warmth, and unwavering love for her family will always be remembered.”
