The 19-year-old Walmart employee who was found dead in the store’s walk-in oven in Canada was discovered by her mother, who also worked there, according to a community fundraiser for the family.
The teen was identified as Gursimran Kaur, according to a fundraiser organized by the Maritime Sikh Society in Halifax on behalf of the family.
“On Oct. 19th, the fateful Saturday night, she was found burned to death in the walk-in oven at Walmart bakery,” the fundraiser said.
Halifax Regional Police said they were called to the Walmart at 6990 Mumford Rd. in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 9:30 p.m. and found the young woman dead, located in a “large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department.”
Kaur and her mother had worked at the Walmart for the last two years, according to the fundraiser.
That evening, Kaur’s mother tried to find her after not seeing her for one hour. She asked around for her and tried to call her to no avail.
“Mother started panicking as it was unusual for [Kaur] to switch her phone off during the day,” the fundraiser said. “Imagine the horror that her mother experienced who herself opened the oven.”
Authorities said Tuesday that a cause and manner of death have not yet been confirmed and the investigation is ongoing.
Kaur and her mother are originally from India, the Maritime Sikh Society said. Her father and brother are in India and the organization is trying to get them to Canada.
Thus far the fundraiser has raised over $75,000 Canadian dollars to benefit the family.
Walmart told NBC news Wednesday that the store is closed until further notice. The Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration also said it issued a stop-work order Tuesday for the bakery and a piece of equipment at the store.
“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,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.
