Missing Florida woman found banging on door, trapped in shipping container

Marlene Lopez, a 52-year-old woman was reported missing Wednesday
She was trapped in a shipping container near a business in Cocoa, Florida
The circumstances leading to her confinement remain under investigation

Updated: Mar 11, 2024 / 10:46 AM CDT

FILE – Border Patrol agents patrol along a line of shipping containers stacked near the border on Aug. 23, 2022, near Yuma, Ariz. The Cocopah Indian Tribe is welcoming the federal government’s call for the state of Arizona to remove a series of double-stacked shipping containers placed along the U.S.-Mexico border near the desert city of Yuma, saying they are unauthorized and violate U.S. law. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

(NewsNation) — Marlene Lopez, a 52-year-old woman reported missing on Wednesday, was discovered safely just before noon Thursday, trapped in a shipping container near a business in Cocoa, Florida, according to law enforcement.

She was found unharmed but was taken to the hospital for evaluation and potential dehydration.

Lopez was last seen at her residence on Monday. Concern arose when she failed to pick up her son, prompting a coworker to notify authorities. Detectives initiated a search, interviewing family members and issuing a missing person bulletin.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Lopez had been located after being trapped in the shipping container. She had been banging on the container’s door when someone heard her and unlocked it. The circumstances leading to her confinement remain under investigation.