While the investigation into the death of a 19-year-old Walmart store employee in Nova Scotia, who died in an industrial oven in the bakery department, continues, details about her life have been shared.
The woman, who died on Saturday, has been identified as Gursimran Kaur in a GoFundMe campaign that has been set up to support her family. She and her mother, whose name was not identified, were said to have worked at the Walmart Supercenter in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the past two years.
A Walmart spokeswoman declined to confirm Thursday that the deceased’s mother was also a store employee.
Kaur was a member of the Maritime Sikh Society Gurudwara, a representative at the society said Thursday.
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The organizers of the GoFundMe page posted that Kaur’s father and brother are in India, and “we are trying to get them here as soon as possible.” The details shared in the post were said to have been “provided and consented by the family.”
As of Thursday afternoon, nearly $104,000 — more than double the targeted goal — had been raised on the GoFundMe page.
Asked if Walmart has made a donation to the former worker’s family and whether the company is offering special services to the team in Halifax, a Walmart spokesperson said, “We’re supporting our associates during this incredibly difficult time and have provided access to 24/7 virtual care and will provide on-site support, including grief counseling.”
Described as “a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams,” Kaur and her mother were working on the same shift Saturday night at the Walmart Supercenter store on Mumford Road in Nova Scotia’s capital city, according to the GoFundMe post. After not seeing her daughter for one hour, Kaur’s mother tried to locate her and “asked around,” according to the post. “But everyone [allegedly] brushed [her] aside,” thinking that Kaur might have been somewhere [in the Supercenter] helping a customer,” the post read.
After being unable to reach her daughter by phone, her mother started “panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day. She reached out to the on-site admin for help.” The Halifax Regional Police were called to the scene around 9:30 p.m. and the 19-year-old worker was found deceased.
Referencing how Kaur’s “charred remains” were found inside of the bakery’s walk-in oven “after a few hours,” the post read, “Imagine the horror that her mother experienced who herself opened the oven, when someone pointed out to it.”
The Halifax Walmart is closed until further notice. In addition, a stop work order was placed on the bakery and one piece of equipment in the store, according to a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Department of Labor, Skills and Immigration.
The investigation is being conducted by the Halifax Regional Police, Nova Scotia’s medical examiner and the Occupational Health and Safety division of the department of labor. All three agencies have indicated that the investigation is expected to take some time without specifying how long that might be.
The Halifax Regional Police’s Constable Martin Cromwell said Thursday, “We’re not providing any updates or any details at this point in time.” Nova Scotia’s medical examiner is “working closely” with the police to determine the cause and manner of the sudden death, according to a spokesperson for the medical examiner. “The investigation is in the early stages and no further details are available at this time,” the spokesperson said.
As reported, a Walmart spokesperson had said Wednesday, “As police have stated, this is a very complex matter and the investigation is ongoing.”
