Authorities are investigating the death of a woman whose head became trapped in a donation box in Lodi, California.
According to reports from NBC affiliate KCRA, ABC affiliate KGTV, and CBS affiliate KOVR, officers from the Lodi Police Department responded to the area of North Pacific Avenue and West Elm Street around 6:10 p.m. local time.
Upon arrival, they found a woman unresponsive with her head lodged in the deposit mechanism of the donation bin. Firefighters from the Lodi Fire Department assisted in gaining access to the box and extricating the woman. She was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, authorities confirmed.
The woman, who has not yet been identified, is believed to be between 35 and 45 years old. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the Lodi Police Department. The circumstances leading to her becoming stuck remain unclear.
PEOPLE reached out to the Lodi Police Department for further comment on Wednesday, August 6.
A similar incident took place in June in Plantation, Florida. Officers from the Plantation Police Department (PPD) responded to a report of a “person stuck” in a donation bin located on the 8300 block of West Federated Roadway. When they arrived, they found the individual deceased inside the container — a large, pink box marked “clothes & shoes donation center,” as seen in footage shared by CBS Miami.
According to the PPD, the deceased was found “partially stuck in the donation box.” At the time, police noted the incident appeared accidental, though a full investigation was underway.
Another tragic event occurred in March, when a woman’s body was discovered inside a burning donation bin in upstate New York. The victim, later identified by the Glens Falls Police Department as Michelle McFarren, 43, was found after officers noticed the bin on fire in the early hours of Thursday, March 6, according to ABC affiliate WTEN, NBC affiliate WNYT, and the Albany Times Union.
Firefighters responded and extinguished the flames before discovering McFarren’s body inside the bin. In a public letter, Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins stated that McFarren may have been using the bin for shelter during cold and rainy weather.
