The family of a Miami mother found dead inside a walk-in freezer at a Little Havana Dollar Tree has launched a high-stakes legal battle, accusing the company and a store manager of negligence. The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade civil court, seeks more than $50 million and claims staff brushed off warnings that a customer was still inside after closing.
Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, 32, was discovered in the freezer on Dec. 14, 2025. Her relatives say that beyond the shock and grief, they are still searching for answers about how she ended up in a restricted, employee-only area and remained there overnight.
Inside the Lawsuit and Where It Landed
According to NBC6, the complaint was filed last Wednesday and lays out a chilling timeline. Sanchez entered the Dollar Tree at 968 Southwest 8th Street on Dec. 13 and was found the next morning inside a walk-in freezer. The suit alleges she became trapped and argues that Dollar Tree failed to properly secure the employee-only area and failed to locate or help her before reopening the store.
Claims Against the Manager and the Store
As outlined by Law & Crime, the lawsuit also zeroes in on store manager Yanelkis Gonzalez. The complaint alleges that when a customer reported Sanchez as unaccounted for, Gonzalez told staff not to review surveillance footage. The filing further claims the walk-in freezer did not have an internal emergency release, alarm, or latch, and that employees were not adequately trained to make sure all customers had left before closing up for the night.
What Investigators Are Saying So Far
Police investigators have said surveillance video shows Sanchez entering the store on her own, and detectives do not currently suspect foul play, according to People. An official cause of death has not been publicly released. Earlier reporting followed officers as they responded to the Little Havana Dollar Tree and began their investigation into how a routine shopping trip ended in a locked freezer.
Who Sanchez Was, and How Her Family Is Responding
Friends and relatives remember Sanchez as an anesthesiologist and a devoted mother of two. A GoFundMe campaign was created to help return her body to Nicaragua, WSVN reported. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of her husband and children, demands a jury trial and damages exceeding $50 million as the family presses for accountability over what they describe as a preventable death.
Legal Stakes and Potential Fallout
Wire reports and legal summaries say the complaint accuses Dollar Tree of negligence, breach of its duty to customers, and failures in training and equipment maintenance that allegedly led to Sanchez’s entrapment, per RTT News. If the case moves forward, both sides are expected to dig into discovery, examining store policies, surveillance footage, and maintenance records as the family pursues civil damages.
Dollar Tree’s Response and What Comes Next
Dollar Tree has acknowledged the “tragic” incident and says it is cooperating with law enforcement, according to NBC6. Miami police continue to investigate, and the newly filed lawsuit sets up a civil process that could include depositions, pretrial motions, and possibly a courtroom showdown if the parties do not reach a settlement.
