Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Shocking Autopsy Results For Doctor Dead in Dollar Store Freezer

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Autopsy results for the woman found dead in a Dollar Tree freezer last December in Miami are in and are adding to the mystery surrounding her death. Dr. Helen Garay Sanchez was visiting Miami from Nicaragua when she went to the Dollar Tree store on the evening of December 13, 2025. A store employee found her naked in the freezer the next morning. The medical examiner has released a cause of death but not determined the manner of death. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes over the findings in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Stay Informed, Stay Safe – Check Public Records with TruthFinder now at https://www.truthfinder.com/lccrimefixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are new clues in the mystery surrounding the death of a mother of two in a freezer at a discount store in Florida. The autopsy results are in for Helen Garay Sanchez. We look at what those results mean and where the investigation into her death stands. And we're looking at the new claims from a lawsuit filed by Helen's family against the dollar tree. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Annette Levy. Nearly two months ago, a Dollar Tree store manager found a naked woman in a walk-in freezer of a store in Miami. It was a Sunday morning, December 14th. It was shocking. It was a startling discovery, to say the very least. The woman was Dr. Helen Garee Sanchez. This happened in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood at the store on Southwest 8th Street.

At the time, CBS News reported that dispatchers were heard over police scanners saying, complainant found a naked female in the cooler of the store. Now that call on the police scanner, it certainly caught the attention of people working in newsrooms in Miami. Police and EMTs went to the store and found Helen Garay Sanchez. She was a doctor and visiting Miami from her native Nicaragua. She was just 32 years old, a mother of two. She had walked into the store just before closing time the night before. It was a Saturday night.

Apparently she went to an area designated for employees. employees only, and that is how she ended up in that freezer. The next morning, an employee found her body in that freezer. Gray's loved ones gathered outside of the store as police investigated. A spokesperson $4.4 tree released the following statement. 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. You know, I really love truthfinder.com. I use it all of the time here on Crime Fix for public record searches. TruthFinder saves me so much time on research so we can get extra information for you when we report on cases. You can use TruthFinder too. It's great.

Type in a name. You can find addresses, criminal history, and more on the people you search. It's our go-to tool for checks and one of the largest search services in the United States. With a subscription, you get unlimited confidential searches to check on new neighbors that people you meet online or find someone to reconnect with. You can even look up registered sex offenders nearby or do a background search on yourself. Stay informed. Stay safe. Check public records with Truthfinder now at truthfinder.com slash LC crime fix. Since I last told you about this case, Gray's family has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Dollar Tree. It makes some shocking claims about things Dollar Tree employees did or did not do. The night that has

Helen Garay walked into that store. I'll get into those shortly. But first, I want to tell you about the autopsy results for Helen Garay Sanchez. Miami police have told local media and law and crime that they don't suspect foul play in Garay's death, but the investigation is ongoing. The autopsy report lists the cause of death for Helen Garay as environmental hypothermia, a contributory cause is ethanol use, that is essentially alcohol. This report is basically saying that Helen Garay, she froze to death, and that alcohol use contributed to her death. Noticably absent from this, Helen Garay's manner of death that must still be under investigation by the medical examiner. So to break down this autopsy report and much more, I want to bring in Dr. Priya Banerjee. She is a board-certified

forensic pathologist. Dr. Banerjee, thank you so much for joining me. Really excited to discuss this with you, although it's such a horrific case. I want to start with the fact that we have a cause of death listed on this autopsy report for Helen Gray, but no manner of death. So what do you make of that? Yeah, that's interesting because normally all the facts, as far as I know in Florida, are public. Okay, so different states have different parts of the autopsy or cause of death. It may not be the autopsy report, but just the cause of death, public, cause and manner could be public. But it's interesting that they haven't certified it as far as I've seen. And that, I don't know if that part's still under investigation or not,

or if it's just their policy that they don't review it or release it, excuse me. But the circumstances are quite peculiar, and that's what the manner of death is based on. This is certainly highly unusual. We have a physician. She's visiting Miami from her native Nicaragua, visiting her family, walking into a Dollar Tree store on a Saturday night, and somehow getting trapped. There has to be surveillance footage of this. I'm saying that right now, but somehow getting trapped in a walk-in freezer and then dying. And we have her cause of death listed as environmental hypothermia with a contributing cause, a contributing cause, a contributing.

cause of ethanol use. That's essentially she was drinking. You know, I'll break it down like that. This is very, very strange. So talk to me, if you would, about environmental hypothermia. I mean, that to me is she froze to death. Right. So this is so complicated. So she is not, she's by far not a dumb person. She's highly functional, right? A doctor has traveled from abroad, right so that you know she's here on vacation from what i understood and had been out with her family partaking in dinner and some you know drinks i don't think um it's not it's it's above the legal limit for driving but i don't think she was driving you know it's not super high that the alcohol in and of itself would cause her to die yeah it's point 112 is the the b a c so

that's, you know, more than a few drinks. 0.08 being the limit, right, for driving, but it's not that much higher if you think about it. Maybe an extra drink or two within that amount of time. Now, the issue is, I don't know what led her to the freezer. This is totally speculative. Like, she's, you know, she entered the store, I think, with her sister. And the sister had alerted that she couldn't be found, but she went into the freezer. And obviously, that's not. not a common area you would think someone would enter, right, like at the back of the store in the freezer. So she gets, I assume, stuck in there. And the hypothermia, so the cold environment, this is a freezer, if I'm not mistaken, so very cold. You know, it's going to start affecting her,

but not immediate. It's not like she freezes upon entering. It's just that she's not appropriately dressed in a winter coat to protect her, right, if you think about that. But over time, she's going to then become more susceptible to the cold and lose body heat and not be able to compensate. So that's what they're talking about, that her body basically shut down because of the cold exposure, right? You can only thermo-regulate, which is a fancy term for maintaining body temperature and even when we go out into like the outside environment I'm in New England it's very cold outside we have the ability to dress warmly and our bodies function to keep ourselves warm right that's how we shiver that's how the skin blood flow

etc regulates itself but that's you know we mitigate exposure by warm clothes or coming inside right we we can remove ourselves from the environment environment. I don't know what the reason was that she couldn't get out from the inside. I don't know if it's a, if there's not an emergency release mechanism. I don't know how disoriented she became looking for that. So, you know, usually what happens when you become hypothermic. So low body temperature from cold exposure is that we see a lot of things happening. But the first one physically is after you shivered beyond, um, regulating yourself, you start becoming very disoriented, confused. I know there were some bruises on her arm. I don't know if that was her banging, you know, trying to bang to get out. And I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm sorry to interrupt, but they do talk about that, about how she does have these. We got to break it down, I think, step by step. But, you know, that's where she's going from basically normal function, even with alcohol in her system,

and then becoming more disoriented. Now, the interesting thing is alcohol does make you feel what's called vasodilated, like warmer. So I don't know if she has a false sense of warmth initially especially, like when she goes in there. But, again, that's not going to be a true warmth to her body to keep her warm. Let's talk about these bruises that you mention. A regular red to red purple contusion. up to 4.7 centimeters

extend from the dorsal aspect of the left forearm to the dorsal aspect of the left hand. So that to me, it says the hips, buttocks, and lower extremities have scattered discreet to coalescing red-purple contusions

up to eight centimeters. Is it possible she's trying to do something banging herself against that door trying to get out? You know, trying to figure out away, oh my God, I got to get out of here. And she's just freaking out in that freezer. I mean, this is me trying to reconstruct in my head what could have caused these injuries. Sure. So, you know, with the caveat that you can't look at a bruise by the color or the size and say when it

occurred. Okay. So she may have entered the ice or the freezer with some of these, especially, let's say, on her legs. But I think it's a fair assessment to say someone who feels stuck and exposed to cold temperatures in a freezer is going to try to get out. So presumably, I think I can speculate. It's pure speculation because there's nothing characteristic about the bruises that's going to tell me this is what happened. But I think we can surmise that a normal reaction would be to kick, scream, punch, you know, try to break through the door. And it would make sense why her extremities, basically her arms, legs, hips, you know, like just she's trying to bang through any which way, whether it's to open the door, even to get attention, right?

I know there was a store clerk there, and her sister had said that she was gone. I can't find her. Alerted the clerk. So, you know, it would make sense that she's trying to get agitated and make noise, if nothing else. A lot has been made, you know, by people online that, oh, my God, she was naked. but that's just something that happens when people become hypothermic. Explain that to us a little bit about. When we're looking at that like the body's reaction to hypothermia, as I was saying,

it's sort of like this process that people with prolonged cold exposure go through. First is we're going to shiver and compensate, then they become confused. Okay. So once we get beyond that confusion state or the. confusion gets more severe, that's as the body's becoming colder and colder. What happens then is an event called paradoxical undressing. Okay, so paradoxical because obviously she's not dressed for cold weather, right? She's in Florida and going out clothes, thin clothes.

So what then happens is because the body's like shutting down and can't regulate temperature, suddenly she starts feeling hot. Okay? So it's a weird reaction of the body as it's getting really, really cold outside or in the environment, and she starts taking off her clothes. You would think it's paradoxical because normally you would think, oh, I want to put a blanket on, I want to put a coat on, I want to layer up. So it's exactly the opposite of that.

And that's the paradoxical and the undressing is voluntarily taking off her clothes. So it fits with the whole scenario. we don't have to say that there was someone else in there with her or someone that did something to her to take her clothes off. I want to go back to the fact that we don't have a manner of death yet. A lot of times the manner of death is not determined until, you know, the investigation is complete. And there may still be a police investigation underway. And we know there is, of course. And likely people were interviewed in relation to this.

There's also a civil suit. that has been filed by Helen's family, her father, alleging negligence. It's a $50 million civil lawsuit. So, you know, there are five manners of death. Homicide, suicide, accidental, undetermined, and natural. This, of course, is not a natural death. We can rule that out. Right.

Natural disease. Absolutely not. Yeah. That's not like she had a heart attack and died. Right. Undetermined, I don't know. I mean, this could be an accident. And I don't know.

I mean, could you determine this to possibly be a homicide if it's determined the dollar tree people were so negligent that they didn't or that they should have known somebody was in there? I mean, is there a world where you- I think when I say homicide is death at the hands of another. It could be negligence. That's usually a lack of caring for someone, like providing medical treatment. you know, that kind of thing. Now, there's, I have not seen, I've seen limited material that you and I have discussed or, you know, you've passed along to me and published. It doesn't say anything about a suicidal history, any mental health issues.

So there's nothing clearly suicide to me. I mean, if I had at this moment, based on the very limited information and my professional experience, it's probably a terrible accident. I have nothing to believe like there's you know it's not that she purposefully I don't you know willingly trying to kill herself entered the freezer I have nothing to prove that that would be something that really needs to be dug into through the investigation so the police when they interview the sister whoever she went to dinner with what the conversation was what was her mental state I hope that she's happy on vacation. You know, this was a vacation trip abroad and that, you know,

was there any triggering stressful events even while abroad, any news that she received that would suddenly put her into a tailspin? If that's not really proven, then I can see either accident or undetermined being chosen. You know, maybe it, you know, an undetermined I don't use lightly, but it's this is such a weird set of circumstances that I mean maybe the Emmy won't feel comfortable pigeonholing it into an accident like maybe they just aren't going to find enough information she is international so accessing medical records like mental health records maybe near impossible if you will you know that is something I often asked for I routinely asked for in any kind of case that I was considering a suicide matter on is to look into mental health history, as well as regular health history.

But, you know, just things to think about because you're trying to gather as much information as you can. And this is a very unusual case. It's very unusual. And I want to get into some of the allegations being made in the civil suit, you know, just briefly here. The family is alleging negligence on the part of Dollar Tree. and the employee manager at the store failing to repair or correct conditions associated with the walk-in freezer that created an unreasonable risk of entrapment. You know, I know I've worked in restaurants in my younger years where you go into a walk-in

cooler or freezer and there's a handle and you should be able to get out. You know, that's how it works. And so obviously she couldn't get out. Right. excuse me for speaking over you, that's actually to me, I have not worked there, but I've taken like cooking classes, been in a professional kitchen setting where they might say go get the butter from the refrigerator or something like that. I send my daughter to cooking camps where they're trying to teach them how to, you know, work in these environments. And it is. Like if you just think,

same thing with car trunks, right? There's a release from the inside, a safety release. And so it's exactly for these reasons, the entrapment risk that a closed space like that would have a lever release or some sort of release. Now, I don't know when the police investigate the scene and do the interviews, that's a huge issue to look at, the actual latch or the workings of this freezer because is there, and I mean, you have to think about it. People are probably coming in and out of this all the time as store workers, you know, so it's not just, it needs to be safe. regardless of who's using it or potentially getting into it. So that would be what I consider a vital part of the scene investigation.

Okay, what is the temperature setting of the freezer? Is there like an alarm button on the inside? Is there a lever that's working or broken? And, you know, that would be vital to that information, both in the manner and for the civil case. We also, they're saying there was a failure. to adequately monitor the premises, including the walk-in freezer on the date of the incident for the presence of patrons and invitees at the closing time of the Dollar Tree,

failing to review or utilize available surveillance footage or other monitoring systems to determine whether Sanchez remained inside the Dollar Tree store after being placed on notice that a customer was missing and did not exit the premises. That's very interesting. I'd like to know how they'd like to know more about how they know that. Failing to implement, train employees on and enforce reasonable closing time policies and procedures to ensure that all patrons and invitees, including Sanchez, had exited the dollar tree. Failing to timely discover Sanchez's presence inside the walk-in freezer and to render reasonable aid or summon emergency assistance and all other negligent acts or omissions learned in discovery. So they're saying, well, we may learn even more.

once we get discovery in this case. It is interesting to me, though. It sounds like there was no sweep of the place done. Like maybe you sweep the entire store to ensure, you know, restrooms, walk-in coolers, freezers. You do a sweep of the entire place maybe once, twice to ensure the whole place is empty and that nobody's hiding in there possibly or in there accidentally.

They're saying that didn't happen. We can clearly see that didn't happen, Priya. So you've testified in cases before. So does the family have a case here? It reminds me of like a school bus. You know how kids fall asleep or they hide and school bus drivers are supposed to do a sweep before. So no kids left behind. And if there's any inkling, I mean, I'm curious what the store written policy is or the company policies.

You know, if there's an established closing protocol, if you will, you know, in terms of the manager to follow. but to me, anybody that it's like a public place, right? It's a public store. There's bathrooms. I would want to make sure that I think it's hard for a worker to constantly keep an eye of who's coming in and out. But at the same time, at the end, right, end of night, end of shift. There should be some sweep to make sure there's no one hiding in any crevices, alcoves, whatnot. You know, that seems rather logical because there's so many people, I mean, dollars,

tree, dollar general is so, it's so popular, you know, that I would think, and I mean, I mean, she's a grown woman, but I think of them as family-friendly stores where kids can come in, right? There's such a variety of people that may be patrons there, that it would necessitate making sure everyone's out before you lock the door. And more than likely, the freezer's not locked, right? Meaning, it's not locked to, if she got into it, she didn't need to. a key. It's not like you have to have a store key to access it. And if that's the case, then it really needs to be swept because anybody could have walked in there. Yeah, it's baffling for sure. It's incredibly rare. Dr. Priya Banerjee, thank you so much for joining me. We'll keep an eye on this.

I hope we can connect and see how this develops because it's so unusual. We are learning more about Helen Gray-Sanchez through a GoFundMe created by one of her friends. The GoFundMe states, Dr. Helen Garay, a devoted physician, and beloved mother passed away tragically on 1214, 2025 at the age of 32. Originally from Nicaragua, Dr. Gray dedicated her life to medicine, earning recognition as an anesthesiologist specializing in congenital heart disease whose work brought hope and healing to countless children and families. Her compassion, skill and commitment to saving young lives defined both her career and her character. Beyond her profession, she was a loving mother to

two children who remained in Nicaragua and were the center of her world. Her strength, warmth and unwavering love for her family will always be remembered. Dr. Helen Garay passed away following a tragic accident while abroad. Her family's greatest wish is to bring her home to Nicaragua so she may receive a proper funeral and final resting place surrounded by loved ones. Help bring her home. The family is currently raising funds to cover the cost of repatriation, transportation and funeral services in Nicaragua. Any contribution no matter the amount will help honor her life and legacy and support her children during this devastating time. We thank you for your prayers, kindness, and support during this difficult moment. The investigation, as I mentioned,

into Helen Gray Sanchez's death is on co-ing by Miami Police. Again, Falplay is not suspected, but who knows if that could change. And that is it for this episode of Crime Fix. I mean, Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.