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).
Florida police are trying to figure out how a 32-year-old anesthesiologist and mother of two wound up dead "inside a freezer" at a Miami Dollar Tree, according to officials.
"As of today, it is still being investigated as an unclassified death," a Miami Police Department public information officer told Law&Crime on Monday.
The woman, who has been identified as Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, was found inside of the Dollar Tree — located at 968 SW 8th Street in Little Havana — on Sunday morning. A 911 dispatcher was heard on a police scanner saying, "Complainant found a naked female in the cooler of the store," according to local CBS affiliate WFOR.
"We received a call from an employee, who reported that there was a deceased woman inside of the business, inside of the freezer," the Miami PD spokesperson said. "No foul play is suspected, but it's still an active and ongoing investigation."
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Officers responded to the Dollar Tree on Sunday and found Garay Sanchez's body in a freezer located in a restricted, employee-only area inside of the discount store, according to local TV station WPLG. Workers told the outlet that she was not a staff member.
Police say it doesn't appear that Garay Sanchez was forced into the freezer, but it's still unclear how she ended up there. She was seen by workers walking into the store Saturday night before it closed; the woman didn't buy anything and was reportedly spotted making her way to a freezer in the back storage room.
Dollar Tree management could not be reached for comment on Monday. The store was closed while police investigated. It reopened later in the day Sunday, WPLG reports.
"It's something painful," a customer told the station. "A family heartbroken now because of the death of a person, and we don't know what truly happened."
Another person told WFOR, "I got to be honest with you, I'm totally devastated. I can't believe in the Dollar Tree you'd find a dead body."
The Miami Herald reported seeing members of Garay Sanchez's family at the store as police investigated and were on scene Sunday. They declined to speak to media.
"Originally from Nicaragua, Dr. Garay 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," a GoFundMe description says about the "devoted physician and beloved mother," with the page first being reported by WPLG.
"Her compassion, skill, and commitment to saving young lives defined both her career and her character," the GoFundMe says. "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."
The person who started the online fundraiser did not respond to Law&Crime's request for comment on Monday. Their relation to Garay Sanchez is unclear. They describe the doctor's death as a "tragic accident while abroad."
