An autopsy report released by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office is revealing the cause of death of a woman found inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree store in Miami back in December.
According to the report, the cause of death of 32-year-old Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was listed as environmental hypothermia, with a contributory cause of death being ethanol use.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, hypothermia occurs after being exposed to cold, wet and/or windy conditions.
“Hypothermia, or low body temperature, is a condition that occurs when your body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius),” the Cleveland Clinic reports on its website. “The average normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees F (37 C). Hypothermia is a medical emergency.”
If hypothermia is left untreated, hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest and death.
The autopsy report also showed that her ethanol levels were at 0.112%. Ethanol is also the active ingredient found in alcoholic beverages.
The medical examiner’s office ruled her death as an accident.
What happened to the woman found dead inside a freezer at a Miami Dollar Tree store?
According to the autopsy report, Miami police said said Sanchez, who was from Nicaragua, was visiting South Florida and was out with friends and family on the night of Dec. 13, 2025.
Authorities said that she had been drinking at a local restaurant, and was later noted by law enforcement to be intoxicated.
Just after 7 p.m. that evening, she and her sister walked into a Dollar Tree in Little Havana and began to look through the store’s aisles.
Sanchez’s sister said she couldn’t locate her inside the store after a period of time and approached store associated for help.
At the time, police said store staff were unable to access surveillance video from the store, and the woman’s sister ended up leaving to continue her search.
Early the next morning, an employee of the Dollar Tree store entered a walk-in freezer and found Sanchez between some boxes.Â
Emergency crews were called, and City of Miami Fire Rescue pronounced her dead at the scene.
Little Havana residents were “devastated” by the incident
People who showed up at the store after the incident said were shocked by the deadly discovery.
“I got to be honest with you, I’m totally devastated,” said concerned resident Margarita Puig. “I can’t believe in the Dollar Tree you’d find a dead body.”
Hugo Morales, another concerned resident, said he was concerned about when the woman’s family would find out.
“I think it’s crazy,” Morales said. “I’ve never heard of something like that in my life.”