Kitchen Employee Found Dead After Getting Locked Inside Walk-In Freezer

A kitchen worker at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, a hotel in downtown Atlanta, was found dead on Tuesday morning, March 22, after she was locked inside a walk-in freezer.

The woman's family notified the hotel when she did not return home on Monday after her shift had ended.

The victim, whose name has not been released, is believed to have entered the freezer in the hotel's lower level kitchen area around 8 p.m. Monday. Police do not suspect foul play.

"We're still combing through the video just to make sure that there's nothing else going on," Atlanta police Lt. Charles Hampton said during a press conference. "She worked in the culinary department of the hotel, so it would appear that she had a reason to be inside the freezer."

There is evidence to indicate the woman attempted to escape the freezer, which did have an exit mechanism. "Obviously, I do not have the answer whether or not that mechanism worked or was properly operational," Lt. Hampton said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency that regulates workplace safety, has been called upon to conduct an official investigation.