Mother on vacation was intoxicated before being discovered naked and deceased in a Dollar Tree freezer

Mother Sues Dollar Tree After Daughter Found Dead in Freezer

A mother has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Dollar Tree after her daughter was discovered deceased and unclothed in a freezer at one of their stores. The incident involving Helen Massiel Garay Sanchez, a 32-year-old anesthesiologist from Nicaragua, happened in December during her visit to Florida.

Authorities concluded there was no foul play in her death, but a recent toxicology report indicated her blood alcohol concentration was 0.11%, surpassing the legal driving limit of 0.08%. This detail was noted in a report by WPLG.

The official ruling on her cause of death identified environmental hypothermia—with ethanol as a contributing factor—as the reason behind her tragic passing.

Sanchez reportedly didn’t make any purchases in the store before wandering into an employee-only section where she eventually entered the freezer. Employees found her body the following morning.

Reports indicate that she was able to open the freezer’s door as it was neither blocked nor secured against emergency access, which officials confirmed last month.

Initially, police were unclear about Sanchez’s mental state at the time of her entry into the freezer. A spokesperson mentioned uncertainty over whether her actions were voluntary or accidental.

Following the incident, Sanchez’s family initiated the lawsuit against Dollar Tree and the store’s management, asserting they failed to safeguard customers from “foreseeable risks” posed by the walk-in freezers. The lawsuit claims that there should have been adequate safety protocols in place.

Moreover, the complaint states that staff were made aware that Sanchez was missing and hadn’t been seen leaving. Allegedly, they should have acted upon the reports of a “missing” customer.

Described in an online fundraising campaign as devoted to her family, Sanchez leaves behind a husband and two children, who were said to be her “world.”