Delta Township, MI - Tyree Monique Tate, 26, and her sister had a really bad day on Monday. They got caught shoplifting, assaulted a security guard and ran from the police before 10:00 in the morning. By noon, Tyree Tate was in critical condition after hiding from the cops in a trash compactor that was accidentally turned on. On Tuesday morning, Tyree Tate died. This is probably the worst shoplifting-gone-bad story ever. Read on, denizens, and see for yourselves.
On Monday morning, Tate and her sister went on a back-to-school shoplifting trip for their kids. They’d picked up a few things from the T.J. Maxx at Lansing Mall and were heading out of the store when they were accosted by store security. The women chose to run with their loot, spraying the security officer in the face with a can of pepper spray to ease their escape. Tate and her sister got away with under $500 in merchandise, and took off across a highway while police were en route.
Tyree Tate and her sister ran behind a Goodwill store and stopped at a large, dumpster-sized trash compactor at the rear loading dock. Trash is sent out the loading dock into the compactor, where it crushes its contents into a manageable size for transport. Tate apparently thought the “Keep Out” signs were a suggestion rather than a serious caution. She got into the compactor, which was not on at the time. Oh yeah, I think we all see this one coming, don’t we, denizens of The Demon?
And sure enough, it happened. Tate’s sister was caught by police outside a Meijer’s store nearby, but she wasn’t cooperating. The sister, whose name has not been released, refused to tell police where her sister was hiding. She even said she only knew Tate by her street name, “Diamond”. And right about then, a Goodwill employee turned on the trash compactor, totally unaware that Tyree Monique Tate was hiding inside.
The employee couldn’t see Tate, but heard her screams. At 10:15 a.m., the employee called 911 asking for help for the person stuck inside the compactor. Tyree Tate was extracted from her unfortunate hiding place and was taken to a hopsital, but she died on Tuesday morning of what the preliminary autopsy report called “multiple crush injuries”. Tyree Tate was a mother of three young children.
The stolen merchandise was not recovered, so police released Tyree Tate’s sister pending further investigation. Authorities say it is likely that charges will be filed; they’re just not sure which ones yet.
Is this a case of “she got what she deserved”, or is it a tragedy borne of stupidity, poverty and an inability to read signs? A case could likely be made either way. I don’t know that a misdemeanor theft and a pepper spray on one guy is worth the death penalty. On the other hand, Tyree was clearly an idiot, and her sister a very loyal idiot. Darwin Award or just desserts, Tyree Tate’s three children have lost their mother over some school clothes and a morning full of bad decisions. It’s sad, really.
35 responses so far ↓
1
WhatThe
Aug 20, 2008 at 11:53 am -$500 worth of school supplies? Damn. I bought my kids a couple of notebooks and some folders. It’s not like these women walked out of the store with a some pens stuffed in their pockets. There are places that can help you out if you can’t afford to buy your own uniforms . I wonder if they have been in trouble before? She didn’t deserve to die, but she should have given it up when she was busted.
2
Morbid
Aug 20, 2008 at 12:24 pm -I vote Darwin Award nominee. Not sure if death-by-trash compactor is an equal punishment to some shit clothes stolen from TJ Maxx and assault on a security guard. A little jail? Sure. Crushed to death? Nah.
3
tray-bay-bay
Aug 20, 2008 at 12:31 pm -Ugh! I feel so sorry for those children, their mother and the stupid aunt. There are so many others here at DD that truly are worthy of a trip thru the trash compactor. Oh the upside she was stealing so they could continue their education and not end up like their mother.
4
katyk
Aug 20, 2008 at 1:27 pm -Ahh! Horrible.
I definitely don’t think she deserved to be crushed, but arguably she wouldn’t be in that trash compactor had she not just robbed from TJ Maxx. I mean, I don’t know what she did with her time, so I can’t say that for sure.
I am going to tell my kids one day, “don’t shoplift or you may end up in a trash compactor that gets turned on accidentally. It’s happened.” That would probably stay with them forever.
5
Athena
Aug 20, 2008 at 1:44 pm -My GOD. You know, my worst fear is to die as a burn victim. You know, not die in the actual fire, but to suffer the months of unimaginable pain only to be got by an infection.
Death by trash compactor is officially second place.
This is terrible misfortune. Sure, due to her own stupidity, but not at all deserved.
6
The Masked Web Avenger
Aug 20, 2008 at 1:58 pm -I’m with Morbid on this one.
Darwin award - yes
Deserved to die for shoplifting - no
The poor kids are the ones I feel really bad for.
7
auddie
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:36 pm -Terrifying death.
8
WryBread
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:37 pm -She didn’t deserve to die in a trash compactor, but then there was no choice in the matter other than her choice to climb into it.
Poverty — no. She wasn’t stealing clothes so her kids could get an education — if that had been her goal, she would have been shoplifting pencils, notebooks, dictionaries, and workbooks. She was stealing so her kids would look good. There are secondhand stores where pretty nice clothes can be bought for very little money. This woman just wanted new stuff for free.
Unable to read? Can’t even read, “Keep Out?” I doubt it. She was just looking for a place to hide. Maybe she’d even scoped it out before she and Sissy went in to “shop.”
There’s no tragedy in this story. Just a run-of-the-mill thief made a miscalculation and had some very hard luck.
9
April
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:43 pm -Okay - So I don’t think she deserved to die like that for shoplifting, but her dumbass DID climb in there and signs WERE posted. It’s like we tell our kids when they get hurt doing something we have told them NOT to do - “See what happens?”. I actually think that was the first full sentence out of my son’s mouth. Anyhow, I can see where this will end up. The family will sue and no doubt win, the sister might have to do a little community service, and 3 children will likve without a mother because she didn’t have good enough sense to just go to Target and shop on clearance racks like the rest of us do when we are strapped for cash.
10
April
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:44 pm -Secondhand stores is right! She died behind one of them….
11
The Masked Web Avenger
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:48 pm -Did she deserve to time - No
Is it her fault - Hell yes
There is no way her family will win a law suit. You can’t sue someone for an injury or death if the victim was in the process of commiting a crime in most states.
12
sugarglider
Aug 20, 2008 at 3:10 pm -What a horrid way to go. The claustrophobia of it all.
13
katyk
Aug 20, 2008 at 3:22 pm -Amen. My mom (like a lot of other mothers out there) was a single mother, worked 2 jobs, and went to school when I was younger. She bought me clothes at consignment shops, WalMart, and Payless. I was definitely not the “cool” kid, but I got straight As. So looking good had nothing to do with my education.
I’m much better looking now, hence the 2.5 GPA in college. I kid.
14
April
Aug 20, 2008 at 4:55 pm -In some cases it has been done. If the family can prove that Goodwill could have taken steps to prevent someone from climbing in to the compactor they may succeed. I believe they call it an “attractive nuisance”. Plus they are saying that they can’t find the items that were taken from the TJ Maxx. anyhow, in my line of work, I see some fucked up lawsuits where the idiots come out smelling like roses.
15
Morticia
Aug 20, 2008 at 5:58 pm -“Attractive nuisance”???? Seriously? A compactor is not an attractive nuisance….it’s a compactor! There is nothing that would “attract” the average person to jump in. There are warning signs all over this thing. What ever happened to assumption of risk?? Had died jumping onto a moving train in an attempt to flee justice would that object be considered an attractive nuisance?
All of this grief for shoplifting at TJ Maxx? Good Lord.
16
The Masked Web Avenger
Aug 20, 2008 at 6:16 pm -Its a sad sad world when poor people sue the goodwill. I’m just saying.
17
April
Aug 20, 2008 at 6:32 pm -I have seen these types of lawsuits. Not one that involved a compactor, but there have been dumpsters, high voltage rooms, even fences with barbwire or razorwire and other “non-attractive” areas. I had one recently where a teenager climbed onto a building (after entering through locked gates) only to find a buble shaped, plastic “window”. He proceeded to jump on this window as if it was a trampoline. Of coure the plastic broke, the boy fell through landing on top of a desk and broke his leg and several ribs. Guess what! His parents sued the school (the building was a school). Yep! That is the sort of world we live in. I hope I’m wrong in this case. Sad that this woman lost her life but her family should not be compensated for her stupidity.
18
katyk
Aug 20, 2008 at 7:07 pm -Yeah, really. Aren’t they a discount store, too? If you’re gonna shoplift, you should go all Winona Ryder and hit up a Saks Fifth Avenue. Or, whatever the closest equivalent is in Delta Township, MI.
They won’t get much from them either, I imagine.
19
captainhowdy
Aug 20, 2008 at 8:45 pm -Gift card to TJ Maxx? Or maybe to Goodwill?
Seriously, though, what a fucking horrid way to die. Serious Darwin Awards shit here. This is right up there with my favorite Darwin Award winner–the guy who ran out of alkeehol, so he made himself a cocktail of gasoline and milk (the milk was to ease his stomach, of course), then he proceeded to barf his guts out (of course)…DIRECTLY INTO A LIT FIREPLACE!! Doy doy doy durrrrr!! Needless to say, his house got all explodey and he went to Tard Heaven.
20
ScotchyScotch
Aug 20, 2008 at 9:33 pm -Let’s try to look at the bright side on this story. With the help of the trash compactor, Tyree will probably look slimmer in her casket, dontcha think?
Bwahahahahaha!!!
Ah, I love my scotch…
21
katyk
Aug 20, 2008 at 9:51 pm -Oh ScotchyScotch, where have you been? Haven’t seen your Ron Burgundy ass in a while. I had to change my avatar so you could do your thang alone — you do it so much better anyway.
22
claddaghgirl
Aug 21, 2008 at 9:30 am -Goodwill toward men and and idiot shoplifters!
Stuipd cow…but wouldn’t wish that death for anybody. Other ways to die, yes but that way, no.
23
Peeperann
Aug 22, 2008 at 7:41 am -I’m with Morticia here. Anyone who grows up in Michigan (which I did) knows you don’t go anywhere near a trash compactor. There have been stories like this when I was growing up.
Stupid, yes very much so. But she didn’t deserve to die like that. Thats just horrible.
I know the poverty in Michigan, since General Motors has left. The entire lower half of the state is a ghetto. But damn, you don’t die for some new clothes….
24
April
Aug 22, 2008 at 11:47 am -Peeperann - I guess I should say that I live in CA - The “Sue Me” state. I have seen lawsuits against a restaurant for someone chipping a tooth because they bit their own damn fork… And they WON!! WTF??? So you can see where I am coming from assuming that this familt would attempt to sue the Goodwill. I could be (and I hope) I am wrong.
25
Sickofcrap
Aug 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm -WTF? So sad for the children.
26
Senna
Aug 23, 2008 at 9:28 am -Wow. What a dummy. Still, she didn’t deserve to die. Neither shoplifting nor stupidity qualifies the death penalty.
She definitely should be nominated for a Darwin Award, though, as she fits all the criteria. At first, I was under the impression that having offspring was a disqualifier, but after visiting the Darwin Awards website, I found that it’s not. I just hope, for their sakes, that her children’s father is more intelligent.
And her kids…poor things:( They’ve lost their mother and, to add insult to injury, it was over a few stolen clothes. Sad and senseless.
27
renee1026
Aug 24, 2008 at 4:19 pm -LOOK here I AM A LOYAL FRIEND OF TYREE AND SCREW YOU ALL to make fun of a situation like that is so heartless! reguardless of how she died it was her time to be with the lord, long before she was thinking about shoplifting it was written in the book of life that on that Tuesday she would be leaving us to begin EVERLASTING life with the lord and, he doesn’t like ugly and I will pray for all of you who think that this unfortunate incident is a joke. I will also keep her family in my prayers as well GOD BLESSS
28
The Masked Web Avenger
Aug 24, 2008 at 4:30 pm -I’m sorry for you loss Renee. Tyree and her family deserve everyones prayers. Agian, I think this is a tragic event that could have been avoided all together by following the law. Please understand that we are little jade by stories far worse than that than Tyree and none of use thin she is less human or will be missed less by the family because she made mistake. We just hope other hear about it and see where crime leads.
29
Dakota Valkyrie
Aug 24, 2008 at 5:05 pm -If it’s all written down in a little book in god’s desk drawer, then why bother eating healthy, not drinking, no smoking, saying no to drugs, dating dangerous guys, running with scissors and all kinds of stuff? WooHoo! Fun times here I come!! Thanks!
30
WryBread
Aug 24, 2008 at 10:43 pm -So God made her go shoplifting so she’d climb in the compactor and go to join him on Tuesday? Or was she scheduled to go on Tuesday and she chose to waste her final hours as a pepper-spraying shoplifting thief?
If she had been giving soup to the homeless or taking her dog to visit the elderly in nursing homes, we’d all be sad about her long-ago scheduled trip to God. But as it is, I wonder what God had to say to her when she showed up with an empty can of pepper spray and a bag full of clothes that still had the security tags on them.
31
Lizard
Aug 24, 2008 at 11:34 pm -Renee, are you a shoplifter, too? If so, I hope the fate of your friend has convinced you to stay out of trash compactors, even it it means surrendering to the po po.
32
Lizard
Aug 24, 2008 at 11:59 pm -P.S. Renee, truth is, I really don’t give a shit if you’re a shoplifter or a prostitute or hooked on heroin or the most law-abiding citizen on the planet. I know losing someone you care about hurts, and I’m happy Tyree had someone in her life who would stick up for her even after she’s gone. Sadly, you were a loyal friend, but your friend did something really stupid, and now she’s dead. I’m sorry that you’ve lost a friend, but if you really don’t want to hear people talking about how climbing into a trash compactor after shoplifting and winding up dead isn’t some sort of justice, then instead of visiting here, maybe you could set up some sort of memorial site for her so others can share their positive memories. My best to you.
33
WryBread
Aug 25, 2008 at 3:18 pm -Lizard, you’re kinder than I am. I see two women who decided that they didn’t have to pay for clothes for their kids, but wanted them brand new nevertheless. They didn’t care that the cost would be passed on to the honest customers in the stores. This wasn’t Tyree’s first little shoplifting sortie, I’d be willing to bet.
They planned ahead in case they were caught and brought along pepperspray to blind any security guard that chased them. They were prepared to more than just lift merchandise, they were willing to hurt someone to get away with their stolen goods.
They ran out of the store and Tyree decided that she’d be extra clever and climb in the big bin behind the Goodwill, a place where she could have purchased low-price clothing for her kids. She got in, got compacted, and will never steal again.
I think instead of memorial site, her LOYAL FRIEND should think about Tyree taking what she wanted without regard to what it would cost others. She should think about Tyree pepperspraying a man who was only protecting the store’s goods.
She should review why she was a LOYAL FRIEND to a thief.
34
Athena
Aug 25, 2008 at 3:57 pm -Scathing, Wrybread, but true. We, as a society, need to consciously guard against becoming so jaded by stories of murder and rape that this woman’s theft and assault become no big deal. The entitlement that leads people to steal in such a manner is criminal in and of itself.
I hope her family is able to heal and use this loss to motivate them to steer those children away from a life of irresponsibility.
35
WryBread
Aug 25, 2008 at 9:00 pm -Thank you, Athena.
I also hope that her kids will be able to grow up happily and among people who do not think that someone’s being a thief is no barrier to being a friend.
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