Woman's body found in Dollar Tree freezer in Miami, police say

A 32-year-old woman was found dead inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree in Miami over the weekend, according to local police.

A Dollar Tree employee contacted Miami police at about 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, and said the body of the deceased woman was found inside the store. The department described the area she was found in as a freezer or cooler.

The department identified the woman as Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez and said her death is being investigated. Foul play is not suspected, but the department said it is still investigating.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department told USA TODAY on Tuesday, Dec. 16, that a manner and cause of death have not been determined for Garay Sanchez.

Dollar Tree declined to answer questions and confirm the woman's connection to the store, but said in a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Dec. 16, that the company's "thoughts are with the individual's family and loved ones."

"We are cooperating fully with the authorities at this time," the statement read.

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Passages 2025: Those we've lost through the year

Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez was visiting father in Miami, friend says

Garay Sanchez is from Nicaragua and was visiting her father in Miami, according to a GoFundMe page organized after her death.

Stefany Pereira started aGoFundMeto raise money to get Garay Sanchez back home. Garay Sanchez was a mother of two, as well as an anesthesiologist specializing in congenital heart disease, the fundraiser says.

Pereira, who described Garay Sanchez's death as a tragic accident while abroad, said the deceased woman's family wants to send her off properly. As of Tuesday, Dec. 16, the fundraiser has collected over $13,000 toward its $20,000 goal. The funds will cover repatriation, transportation and funeral services in Nicaragua.

Illinois:Suspect used racial slur before fatally stabbing Walmart employee, 18, in the back, police say

Facebook user Andrea Tamara Campos also dedicated a post to Sanchez, reflecting on how they lived together while studying at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua.

Campos said Garay Sanchez was the only anesthesiologist in Nicaragua who specialized in congenital heart disease.

Campos said she last saw her friend on Nov. 29 during a trip to Leon. The pair went to the supermarket, bought a sangria, some glasses and towels, and then went to grab a bite to eat. They passed a historic landmark where poetRigoberto López Pérez assassinated dictator Anastasio Somoza, and was soon killed himself.

According to Campos, Garay Sanchez was happy to go to Miami to visit her father, and she was supposed to return on Monday, Dec. 15. She said she will miss her friend and the moments they spent together drinking wine, dancing, going to the theater and having dinner, the Facebook post reads.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia–the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Woman found dead in Dollar Tree freezer in Miami, police say

Woman's body found in Dollar Tree freezer in Miami, police say

A 32-year-old woman was found dead inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree in Miami over the weekend, according to local police...
A driver is found dead in a submerged car near Seattle after a week of heavy rain and flooding

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — A man who drove past warning signs was found dead early Tuesday in a car submerged in floodwaters near Seattle, officials said, in the first reported death following a week of heavy rain and flooding in the region.

Rescue swimmers found the driver and his vehicle in about 6 feet (1.8 meter) of water in a ditch in the Snohomish area northeast of Seattle, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The driver, believed to be a 33-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene after lifesaving measures failed, officials said. No one else was in the car and the death was under investigation.

During abriefingon flood damage from last week's storm, Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jamal Beckham said the majority of calls his crews responded to were from people who tried to drive through water or were stranded atop vehicles.

"They did not understand how rapidly the water rises," Beckham said Saturday. "We pulled people off the roof of their cars. And if we had not gotten there the car would have been completely covered."

They also responded to people who didn't expect their houses to be flooded and did not leave when they were told, he said

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center expects wind, winter and flooding watches and warnings in much of the Northwest for the next couple of days as a series of storm systems bring heavy rain, heavy mountain snow and high winds. The first storm system was set to arrive in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday night, bringing heavy rainfall from the northern California coast up to western Washington on Wednesday. Heavy snow was forecast for the northern Cascades on Tuesday evening was expected to spread to the southern Cascades Wednesday morning.

Residents near a breached levee in King County, in Washington, were told to leave their homes early Tuesday, just hours after an evacuation alert was lifted for residents nearanother broken leveein the same county. Police in the city of Pacific, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Seattle, urged those in the evacuation area near the White River to "Go Now!" The National Weather Service office in Seattle issued a flash flood warning for the levee breach until later Tuesday morning.

Faced with the breach, Pacific's police department put out a call on social media Tuesday morning for a tractor with a bucket capable of reaching 8 feet high, to fill a sandbagging machine. Once the tractor was acquired, the department called for members of the public to help fill sandbags.

A 911 caller who reported water entering an apartment in Pacific around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday was the first sign of the levee breach for the Valley Regional Fire Authority, spokesperson Kelly Hawks said. Crews evacuated about 100 people early Tuesday, pulling some people from the windows of their first-floor apartments, she said.

"That was how quickly the water was coming in," Hawks said, adding that eventually the residents of about 220 homes were told to evacuate. No injuries were reported.

Public works officials were working Tuesday to clear the water and repair the levee so people can return to their homes, she said.

The King County Sheriff's Office used a helicopter equipped with a loudspeaker and knocked on doors to alert people to the evacuation order, evacuating about 1,200 people overnight, according to Brandyn Hull, communications manager for the sheriff's office.

The levee breaches followed days ofheavy rain and floodingthat inundated communities, forced the evacuations of tens of thousands of people and prompted scores of rescues throughout western Washington state.

On Monday, crews used sandbags to shore up the Desimone levee beside the Green River after a small section of it failed, prompting an evacuation order covering parts of three suburbs, officials said.

The evacuation order from King County was sent to about 1,100 homes and businesses east of the Green River, said Brendan McCluskey, the county's emergency management director. On Monday evening, King County officials announced that the evacuation alert was lifted east of the Green River and it was safe to return to the area.

Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writer Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A driver is found dead in a submerged car near Seattle after a week of heavy rain and flooding

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — A man who drove past warning signs was found dead early Tuesday in a car submerged in floodwaters n...
Dak Prescott, Nick Sirianni react to Philip Rivers signing with Colts: 'I respect him for that'

NFL fans reacted with shock and awe when it was announced that Philip Rivers would come out of retirement after five seasons away from the NFL to join the Indianapolis Colts. Thanks to the in-season version of "Hard Knocks," we know select NFC East players and coaches felt the exact same way.

With "Hard Knocks" set to air Tuesday, the program — which is covering the NFC East during the season — released a teaser clip featuring various players and coaching reacting in real-time to the news that the 44-year-old Rivers was returning to the NFL.

The responses ranged from earnest to humorous to disbelief.

Philip Rivers' comeback had the whole NFC East shook 😂New episode of Hard Knocks In Season with the NFC East airs tonight at 9pm ET on@hbomaxpic.twitter.com/bX0bAzi3T7

— NFL (@NFL)December 16, 2025

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was up first. And while he didn't weigh in positively or negatively on the move, he pointed out that Rivers wouldn't be the first grandfather to play in the NFL. That distinction belongs to former Green Bay Packers star Brett Favre.

The Washington Commanders took a more wide-ranging approach. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota noted that Rivers would return to play the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans, three of the tougher defenses in the league. Mariota expressed admiration for Rivers' decision, saying, "I respect him for that."

Commanders backup Josh Johnson expressed some optimism that Rivers could perform well, noting that the Seahawks "better not play zone against him." Johnson concluded, "[Rivers] gonna pick the s*** apart."

Rivers didn't exactly do that in Week 15, though did perform better than most expected. The 44-year-old completed 18-of-27 attempts for 120 yards. He threw a touchdown and an interception inthe 18-16 loss to the Seahawks.

Considering everything working against Rivers, it was a shockingly competent performance.

And if you doubt that, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was included in the "Hard Knocks" clip to provide some perspective. After noting he is also 44, Sirianni quipped, "Do you know the last time I played football? 2004!"

Week 15 wasn't a one-off thing for Rivers. The veteran quarterback isexpected to start for the Coltsonce again in Week 16, when the team will take on the 49ers. That should give Rivers another chance to settle in and pick up his first win since since 2021.

It will also give "Hard Knocks" another opportunity to capture reactions to Rivers' performance in his first game back.

Dak Prescott, Nick Sirianni react to Philip Rivers signing with Colts: 'I respect him for that'

NFL fans reacted with shock and awe when it was announced that Philip Rivers would come out of retirement after five seas...
Icon Sportswire via AP  Sherrone Moore on Oct. 4, 2025 in Michigan

Icon Sportswire via AP

NEED TO KNOW

  • Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi said players feel "very betrayed" by ex-coach Sherrone Moore after his arrest on Dec. 10

  • Poggi shared that players have been experiencing "a wide range of emotions" about Moore's alleged affair with a staff member

  • Poggi told his players they could opt out of competing in the team's upcoming Cheez-It Citrus Bowl game on Dec. 31 in the aftermath

Players on the University of Michigan's football team feel "very betrayed" by former head coachSherrone Moore's alleged affair scandal, the interim coach says.

Biff Poggi, who was named the interim head coach after Moore's arrest on Dec. 10, told reporters on Monday, Dec. 15 that there have been "a wide range of emotions" for the Michigan Wolverines in the days since,ESPNreported.

Poggi said it's "been a tumultuous time" for Michigan's football team since Moore was fired for the alleged inappropriate relationship with a staff member, hours before he was detained by police after officers responded to an "alleged assault" at the staff member's home and was subsequently charged withfelony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and entering without permission.

The interim head coach shared that he prioritized speaking with and listening to players, as well as parents, through "multiple video calls."

David Dermer/AP Sherrone Moore on Nov. 25, 2023 in Michigan

David Dermer/AP

"A lot of ... first disbelief, then anger, then really, what we're in right now is the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed, and we're trying to work through that," Poggi said, per ESPN.

He shared that the team has seen "lots of arms around shoulders, lots of listening, lots of telling them that you love them," in the last week. "But showing it, because words are cheap, and that takes a lot of time. What it really takes is you being willing to listen," he added.

Poggi described the situation as "complicated" and said, "I don't know that you can prepare for something like this."

The Wolverines are scheduled to compete in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, but Poggi said he offered his players the chance to opt out amid the news about Moore.

"What we've told them is this is a personal decision for you all, based on a very unique situation," Poggi said, according to the outlet.

He added that he wanted to be "really sensitive" about "making sure that we're not forcing anybody into doing anything."

Players have found comfort in the distraction of football, Poggi told media. "Because when they're inside that rectangle for those hours that were either in meetings or practicing, it's a bit of a sanctuary... And a chance to not think about what is a constant barrage of media questions and things like that."

Read the original article onPeople

Michigan Players Feel ‘Very Betrayed’ After Ex-Coach Sherrone Moore’s Firing and Arrest

Icon Sportswire via AP NEED TO KNOW Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi said players feel "very betrayed" by ex-coach Sherro...

 

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