The family of a dedicated young doctor are reeling and demanding answers after she was found dead inside a freezer at a discount store in Miami, Florida.
A Tragic Discovery in Little Havana
Dr Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, a 32-year-old anesthesiologist from Nicaragua, was discovered unresponsive and naked inside a freezer chest at a Dollar Tree store in the Little Havana neighbourhood. A staff member made the grim find in the employees-only area on the morning of Sunday, 14 December.
Investigators revealed that surveillance footage showed Dr Sanchez entering the store's freezer at around 10pm on the evening of Friday, 13 December, just before the shop closed. Her body is believed to have remained there overnight.
Family Left with Unanswered Questions
The mother-of-two, who was visiting relatives in Miami, had left her children at home in Nicaragua. Her mysterious death has left her loved ones in shock and confusion.
"The thing is that even the family has a lot of questions," her cousin, Daniela Cortez, told media outlets. "We don't know how this happened either. And we're not getting any answers."
Miami Police have stated they have ruled out foul play and are currently treating the case as an 'unclassified death'. They are investigating why Dr Sanchez, who was not an employee, entered the restricted area and are looking into whether she had any mental or personal issues.
A Life of Service and a Community in Mourning
Dr Sanchez specialised in congenital heart disease. A GoFundMe page set up to support her family described her as a compassionate professional whose work "brought hope and healing to countless children and families."
Her family are now focused on repatriating her body to Nicaragua, where her two children, described as "the centre of her world," live. The fundraising effort had raised $18,300 of a $20,000 goal to cover repatriation, transportation, and funeral costs.
The Dollar Tree store reopened hours after the police investigation, but the incident left the local community shaken. "I'm totally devastated," one customer told reporters. "I can't believe in the Dollar Tree you'd find a dead body."
A Dollar Tree spokesperson said: "We are aware of this tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the individual's family and loved ones. We are cooperating fully with the authorities at this time."
