24 October 2024, 16:50 | Updated: 24 October 2024, 17:15
Picture:
Alamy/GoFundMe
A teenager who was ‘baked to death’ in a Walmart walk-in oven before being discovered by her own mother has been identified.
Gursimran Kaur, 19, was working in a Walmart in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday evening when the incident happened.
Ms Kaur’s mother, who also works in the shop, would regularly check in on her when they had shifts together.
She grew concerned when she had not seen her for an extended period of time and went looking for her when her phone became “unreachable”.
A member of staff later noticed a “leakage” coming from the bakery area.
An hour later, her mother found her “charred remains” inside the walk-in oven.
Picture:
GoFundMe
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money for Ms Kaur’s father and brother to fly out to Canada from India.
She is understood to have only arrived in Canada three years ago and formed close bonds with the Maritime Sikh Society.
They remembered her as a “young, beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams”.
A post on the page said: “On Oct 19th, the fateful Saturday night, she was found burned to death in the walk-in oven at Walmart Bakery situated at Mumford Road, Halifax.
“Gursimran and her mother both worked at Walmart for last two years. In that evening, like any watchful mother who breathes for her child’s happiness, Gursimran’s mother tried to locate her after not seeing for one hour.
“She asked around, but everyone brushed aside thinking that she may be somewhere helping a customer, Walmart is a superstore after all. Her phone was not reachable.
Picture:
Alamy
“Mother started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day. She reached out to the onsite admin for help.
“As you all know now, her charred remains were found inside the walk-in oven in the Bakery after a few hours.
“Imagine the horror that her mother experienced who herself opened the oven, when someone pointed out to it!
“Police [are] investigating the case so we can not share any more details
“Both, Gursimran’s father and brother are in India and we are trying to get them here as soon as possible. This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time.”
The $50,000 target set up on the page was achieved in just 10 hours.
Police have since launched a “complex” investigation into the incident.
Martin Cromwell, a police officer in Halifax, said: “We understand the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there are family members and coworkers involved.”
Walmart Canada said they were “heartbroken”, adding: “Our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family.
“We extend our sincerest condolences to those who were closest to them.”