Over $18K Raised for Woman Found Dead in Miami Dollar Tree Freezer — What We Know

More than $18,000 (£14,450) has been raised for the family of Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, 32, whose body was discovered in a freezer at a Miami Dollar Tree store in December 2025.
The family created a GoFundMe campaign to help bring her remains back to Nicaragua and cover funeral costs as police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

Garay Sanchez, a 32-year-old physician and mother of two, was found dead on 14 December 2025 inside a walk-in freezer at the Dollar Tree on 968 Southwest 8th Street in Little Havana, Miami, after entering the store the night before. Police were alerted by an employee at around 8 a.m. and found her body in a restricted storage area.

Tragic Discovery and Ongoing Investigation

According to local authorities, Garay Sanchez went into the Dollar Tree shortly before closing time on 13 December without making a purchase and later ended up inside the store's freezer in an employee-only section, where she remained overnight.

Police said the incident is being treated as an unclassified death while investigators work to piece together how she came to be in the freezer and what happened in the hours before her body was found. At the time, officials stated there was no immediate indication of foul play.

According to the Local 10 News, the autopsy listed environmental hypothermia as the cause of death, with ethanol use cited as a contributing factor.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed why Garay Sanchez entered the back of the store or how she came to remain inside the freezer.

Family's Response and Lawsuit

In late January 2026, Garay Sanchez's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Miami-Dade County against Dollar Tree and the store's manager, seeking more than $50 million in damages. The suit alleges negligence, claiming the company and store leadership failed to prevent her access to dangerous areas and did not take adequate action after realising she was unaccounted for.

According to the legal filing, the family asserts that management was 'placed on actual notice' that Garay Sanchez was missing and failed to locate or assist her before closing. The suit seeks compensation for what the family describes in the lawsuit as preventable.

In a previous statement following the discovery of the body, Dollar Tree representatives told local news outlets that the company was 'aware of this tragic incident' and was 'cooperating fully with authorities', but did not comment on the lawsuit or ongoing legal matters.

GoFundMe Campaign and Community Support

A GoFundMe page established by friends and family has attracted significant support, with more than $18,000 raised towards the goal of covering repatriation and funeral expenses in Garay Sanchez's home country of Nicaragua. Contributors have left messages remembering her as a devoted mother and respected medical professional.

The fundraiser description highlights that Garay Sanchez worked as an anesthesiologist specialising in congenital heart disease, dedicating her life to medicine and her children's wellbeing. It states the funds will go to transportation, services and arrangements necessary for her family to bring her home.

Online comments on local news coverage also reflect community shock and sadness. Local residents interviewed by media outlets expressed shock at the discovery, with some saying they had 'never heard of anything like this in their life' and that the incident was 'totally devastating' to hear about locally.