Employees arriving for work at a Miami Dollar Tree made a grim discovery Sunday morning when they found the body of a 32-year-old woman inside the store’s walk-in freezer.
According to Local 10, Miami Police were called to the location at 968 SW Eighth St. around 8 a.m., just as the store was scheduled to open. Investigators later identified the woman as Massiell Garay Sanchez.
While the circumstances remain under investigation, detectives have ruled out foul play. According to police, Sanchez entered the store Saturday night but never made a purchase. Instead, investigators believe she slipped into a restricted, employee-only area where the freezer is located and remained there overnight.
Staff members found her unresponsive the following morning.
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Police confirmed Sanchez did not work for the store. A GoFundMe page established to help transport her body back to her native Nicaragua describes her as an anesthesiologist and a mother of two children.
The incident kept the store closed for much of Sunday morning while the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office removed the body and detectives processed the scene. Family members were seen gathering outside the business, waiting for information.
Customers who arrived after the store reopened around 1 p.m. expressed shock at the news.
“It’s something painful, a family heartbroken now because of the death of a person, and we don’t know what truly happened,” customer Gerardo Nunez told Local 10.
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Authorities have currently listed the fatality as an “unclassified death.” Detectives are speaking with Sanchez’s family and looking into whether mental health issues or personal struggles may have contributed to the incident. Police emphasized there is no evidence suggesting she was forced into the unit.
Dollar Tree addressed the situation in a statement released shortly after the store reopened.
“We are aware of this tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones,” the company said. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities at this time.”
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