2004 Camry - Passenger side door lock not working

I have a 2004 Camry SE with 105k miles. Couple weeks back the passenger side door stopped working. The lock from the inside is stuck in the locked position and the door lock won’t open from the outside key, remote or manually.
I took it to a body shop; the guy there said the lock mechanism need to be replaced bu the issue is how to open the door to remove the door panel and fix the lock. His only idea was to cut/destroy the panel and then replace it along with the lock.
Any ideas what could be the problem and how I can open the door without destroying the door panel?