The identity of the 19-year-old Walmart employee found dead in a walk-in oven in Nova Scotia, Canada, Saturday has been revealed. Her exact cause of death has not yet been reported. But according to the Maritime Sikh Society of Nova Scotia, on a GoFundMe page established to help the victim’s family, Kaur “burned to death.”
According to the GoFundMe page established with the family’s consent, Gursimran Kaur and her mother, both from India, had worked at the Walmart location for two years. On Oct. 19, Kaur and her mother worked a shift at the Walmart when the victim’s mother lost contact with her daughter for about an hour. She checked with colleagues, who assured her that Kaur must be somewhere in the store, but Kaur’s phone was also turned off, and her mother grew concerned, the victim’s family said.
A few hours later, Kaur, a member of the Sikh community in the Halifax area, had still not been heard from, and that’s when Kaur’s mother checked the Walmart walk-in oven and made the horrific discovery: Her daughter’s “charred remains,” as the victim’s GoFundMe page describes.
How Kaur got in the oven has still not been determined. According to audio from the graphic emergency services call, dispatch was told a female was “locked in an oven in the bakery,” which was on, and the caller was unsure if staff were “able to turn it off.” Kaur was declared dead at the scene.
A stop-work order was issued for the bakery, and Walmart said the store location will remain closed until further notice. In a statement, Walmart said until the investigation is complete, employees will receive their pay, or alternative work arrangements will be made.
The Walmart statement added, “We are heartbroken, and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family. Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need.”
Sources say the oven could not lock
Details of what kind of oven was used in the Walmart bakery have not yet been reported, but adding to the mystery, sources told the CBC it could not lock, but it is large enough for someone to get inside. Local police said, “The investigation is complex. We just want to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful” that family members and co-workers are involved, police said. They added, “We urge the public to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media.”
According to Nova Scotia’s Maritime Sikh Society secretary Balbir Singh, Kaur and her mother came to Canada three years ago. The family’s GoFundMe page says Kaur’s father and brother are still in India, and funds raised would help her father and brother travel to Canada.
Singh added, “It’s a really tragic incident and everybody is deeply hurt by this, and we are waiting for the police investigation to come out. We would like to know what happened to this young woman.” Singh also cautioned against listening to internet rumors until more official details are released.
Global News says walk-in ovens, sometimes called cabinets or batch ovens, are used for curing, drying, or baking in batches with wheeled racks or carts. They are commonly used in large-volume bakeries such as Walmart. According to The Washington Post, some are not large enough for a person, especially when baked goods are inside, and many have safety systems to prevent accidents.
The Maritime Sikh Society called Kaur “a young, beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams” and added, “This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time.”
