Cause of death for woman found dead in Miami Dollar Tree freezer ruled as hypothermia

The cause of death for a woman whose body was found inside a walk-in freezer in a Miami Dollar Tree store in December was released on Wednesday.

According to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of death for f 32-year-old Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was environmental hypothermia

The Mayo Clinic describes hypothermia as a condition that happens when the body’s normal temperature drops below 95 degrees. If not treated quickly, hypothermia lead to death.

On Dec. 15, Miami Police officers arrived at the Dollar Tree at 968 Southwest 8th Street after an employee made a call and said there was a dead woman inside the store.

Officers found the Sanchez’s body inside a freezer.

During their investigation, police said Sanchez walked into the store the night before it closed, didn’t buy anything, and then made her way to a freezer in the back storage room, where she spent the night.

Sanchez’s body was then found by an employee in the morning.

Her family has since filed a $50 million wrongful death suit against Dollar Tree.

The suit said Sanchez became trapped in the freezer and claims that Dollar Tree was negligent in failing to prevent Sanchez from accessing the freezer.

It also claims the manager was “placed on actual notice” that Sanchez was missing and hadn’t exited the store and “failed to take reasonable action to locate or assist Sanchez.”

Sanchez’s family said she was a doctor in Nicaragua.

Dollar Tree had released a statement after Sanchez’s death.

“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,” the statement read, in part.