Doctor Found Naked and Dead in Dollar Tree Freezer; $50 Million Suit Alleges Negligence

 The family of a 32-year-old doctor and mother-of-two has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Dollar Tree, alleging negligence after her body was discovered inside the store's walk-in freezer.

Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was found naked and unresponsive in an employees-only walk-in freezer at a Dollar Tree location in Miami's Little Havana area on the morning of December 14, 2025. An employee discovered her body while opening the store and immediately called 911.

Police identified Sanchez, a Nicaraguan-born physician and mother of two young children, and stated there was no evidence of foul play or that she had been forced into the freezer. Miami Police reported she had entered the store the previous evening (December 13) shortly before closing, did not make any purchases, and somehow accessed the restricted stockroom area where the freezer is located. She remained trapped overnight, succumbing to hypothermia.

Investigators noted that hypothermia can cause "paradoxical undressing," a phenomenon where victims feel overwhelmingly hot and remove clothing despite freezing temperatures, which may explain why she was found unclothed.