Woman who died in Little Havana Dollar Tree freezer might’ve been drunk: autopsy
The recently released autopsy of Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, a woman who was found dead in a Dollar Tree freezer, revealed she died from hypothermia, but alcohol might have been a factor.
Garay Sanchez’s cause of death was officially listed as environmental hypothermia with a contributory cause of ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, use, wrote Associate Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Jusmita Saifullan and Nicholas Barna in her autopsy released to the Miami Herald on Wednesday.
Garay Sanchez, 32, had a blood ethanol level of 0.112% and an ocular fluid ethanol level of 0.156%. Her blood level was higher than the legal limit to drive, which is 0.08% in Florida.
On December 14, her body was discovered in the freezer of a Little Havana Dollar Tree, 968 SW Eighth Street, by an employee. Garay Sanchez had come into the store the day prior.
She was visiting Miami to see family. According to her Facebook page, she was an anesthesiologist specializing in congenital heart disease at Manuel de Jesús Rivera Children’s Hospital in Managua, Nicaragua, and also worked at Dr. Mauricio Abdalah Hospital in Chinandega.
She is survived by her father, husband and two children, who are suing the Dollar Tree corporation and the store’s manager for $50 million, alleging negligence and unsafe conditions. The company did not respond for comments about the suit.
READ MORE: Family of woman found dead in Little Havana Dollar Tree sues for $50 million
The suit alleges the store breached its duty of care by allowing her to enter the freezer without warning her of the dangers and by failing to install safety measures. It also targets the store manager, Yanelkis Gonzalez, because the suit alleges she was informed by a customer that Garay Sanchez was missing, but Gonzalez refused to review surveillance footage.
Miami police said there was no foul play and Garay Sanchez entered the freezer “of her own free will.”
READ MORE: New evidence connected to woman found dead in Miami Dollar Tree freezer, cops say
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