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After a 19-Year-Old Was Found Dead in a Walmart Walk-in Oven, Everything We Know and Still Don’t Know
E.Anderson22 min ago
Much remains unknown about how a 19-year-old Walmart employee was found dead earlier this month in her store's walk-in bakery oven — even as some key details have emerged, including the victim's identity and how her family is now grieving a "beautiful girl" with "big dreams." Police in Halifax, Canada, have cautioned against "sharing speculative information" while they undertake what they call a "complex" and time-consuming investigation. Walmart has also spoken out to say that their staff is "heartbroken." Here's what is known and not known about the tragedy. When was the Walmart employee's body discovered? On Oct. 19, at around 9:30 p.m. local time, Halifax Regional Police were "called to a sudden death" at the store, according to a Oct. 21 news release. "A 19-year-old woman employed at the store was found deceased," the release confirmed. In a further update on Tuesday, Oct. 22, police said the young woman had been "located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store's bakery department."Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Who is the victim? Community remembers her In a statement to PEOPLE, a member of the Maritime Sikh Society said the employee who died was Gursimran Kaur, an immigrant from India, and that the group set up a GoFundMe on behalf of her family . "We are a Sikh Gurdwara, the biggest in Atlantic provinces in Canada," Balbir Singh, a secretary with the Maritime Sikh Society, told PEOPLE. "This fundraising started with permission from the immediate family, and all the proceedings will go to [Gursimran's] mother." According to the GoFundMe, Kaur — who was described as "a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams" — and her mother had worked at the Walmart store for two years. "The community has been shocked by the whole incident," Sikh Society President Harjit Seyan told Canada's Global News . "We are really upset." How was she found? On the night of Oct. 19, Kaur's mother allegedly tried to find her daughter after not having seen her for about an hour, the community GoFundMe stated. She grew worried when Kaur's phone was unreachable, which the fundraiser organizers said was unusual since Kaur generally had her phone turned on during the day. The Maritime Sikh Society then alleged her mom eventually discovered her inside the oven . "This family's sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time," read their fundraiser's description, which added that all of the donations will go to the family. A local member of the Sikh community told NBC News that they saw Kaur's mother "the day the incident happened." "She was really distraught. She was really in great pain," said Satnam Randhawa, a Halifax Maritime Sikh Society board member. As of Friday, Oct. 25, the GoFundMe campaign for Kaur's family raised more than $140,000 and had stopped accepting donations. "We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has donated to support Gursimran Kaur's family during this unimaginable time," the fundraiser's organizers wrote on GoFundMe. "Your kindness and generosity have been a source of strength for the family as they navigate through this tragedy." Organizers explained that they decided to "turn off donations" in order to "begin the process of distributing the funds to the family," adding that the contributions "will help them in their next steps." The GoFundMe also stated that Kaur's father and brother were in India and efforts were being made to fly them to Canada. How did she get in the oven and die? Halifax police have said they haven't yet reached a point in their investigation "where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed." "We urge the public to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media," police said last week in a statement. "Please be aware of the impacts that speculation could have on family, colleagues and loved ones of the woman." However, according to emergency audio from first responders, the woman was said to have been "locked" in the oven. The roughly 90-second call, published by The Daily Mail , showed a dispatcher describe the incident as a "technical rescue call" at the store. "Female is locked in an oven in the bakery, oven is on, unsure if the staff are able to turn it off," the dispatcher said in the audio. Soon after, however, another official said that "the person was out of the oven upon arrival" and the matter was being dealt with by regional police. Police have not said how the woman got inside the oven or provided further public updates amid their probe. Store remains closed Nova Scotia's Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration initially "issued a stop work order for the bakery area" at the Walmart in Halifax and subsequently lifted it as of Monday, Oct. 28, a spokesperson tells PEOPLE. "The stop work order was lifted when compliance was confirmed, allowing bakery operations to safely resume should Walmart decide to do so," the spokesperson said in a statement. However, the location "will remain closed until further notice," according to a Walmart spokeswoman. "Our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family," said the spokeswoman, Amanda Moss. "Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need. As police have stated, this is a very complex matter and the investigation is ongoing."
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