(L.A.) Anita Raphael, 58, Died in a Donation Box
Case Number: 2022-10573
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 58-year-old Caucasian female that occurred in a parking lot.
The coroner’s office identified the woman as Anita Raphael of Santa Clarita.
Manner of Death: Accident
Cause of Death A: Suffocation
Cause of Death B: Mechanical Asphyxia
RIP ANITA RAPHAEL (April 2, 1964 – October 6, 2022)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Thursday at 10:06 a.m.
The decedent was found unresponsive inside a clothing donation bin near Orchard Village Road and Lyons Avenue in Newhall.
She left behind two elderly dogs, a 9-year-old male Siberian Husky, and an 11-year-old male Dalmatian.
Deaths involving donation bins occur with alarming frequency across the United States and other countries, often when individuals attempt to retrieve items from inside the bins. These bins are typically designed with anti-theft mechanisms —- such as heavy, swinging doors or internal barriers —- that can trap a person’s upper body if they reach too far inside. Once trapped, the individual may become stuck in a position that compresses the chest or neck, leading to mechanical asphyxia and suffocation.
In the case of the decedent, she was found with her upper body caught in the door of a metal donation box, a scenario that mirrors many similar incidents. Authorities responded after a passerby discovered her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Video description: A woman was found dead inside a red donation box in a parking lot on the 24800 block of Orchard Village Road Thursday morning in the Newhall community within the city of Santa Clarita.
This tragedy highlights the dangers posed by the design of many donation bins, which, while intended to prevent theft, can inadvertently create life-threatening hazards for those who become trapped.
Below is a news story from Atlanta in 2020.