THE teenage Walmart employee who was found burned to death inside a walk-in oven has been identified as police probe how she could have become trapped inside.
The charred remains of Gursimran Kaur, 19, were discovered on Saturday evening inside an oven in Walmart’s Bakery department in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in eastern Canada.
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Gursimran had been working at the Walmart with her mother, who was desperately searching for her daughter after not seeing her on the floor for an hour, according to a GoFundMe.
The anxious mother had asked other employees if they had seen her daughter but was brushed aside, telling her Gursimran could be somewhere helping customers because “Walmart is a superstore.”
She tried calling her daughter, but her “phone was not reachable.”
“Mother started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day,” the post read.
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“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.”
Gursimran’s mother opened the walk-in oven when someone else pointed out a “leakage” spewing from it.
“Both, Gursimran’s father and brother are in India and we are trying to get them here as soon as possible,” the GoFundMe post read.
“The family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable.”
The GoFundMe has raised over $67,000 for the family.
HARROWING 911 CALL
Halifax Regional Police were called to the Walmart at around 9:30 pm on Saturday after receiving reports about a female “locked inside an oven in the bakery.”
The dispatcher told responding officers the oven was still on but was “unsure if the staff are able to turn it off.”
When Halifax police arrived, Gursimran was out of the oven but was declared dead.
It’s unclear how Gursimran became trapped in the oven, which could not be locked from the outside, according to CBC News.
The oven is a commercial model large enough for a person to step inside, the outlet reported, citing sources.
Walmart closed the location until further notice.
A Walmart Canada spokesperson previously told The U.S. Sun the company was heartbroken by the employee’s tragic death.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“Our store is temporarily closed. We are cooperating with authorities during their investigation.”
Gursimran and her mother had moved to Canada from India about two or three years ago, according to the Maritime Sikh Society.
Halifax police are investigating the incident and have not said whether Gursimran’s death was criminal.
“The investigation is complex,” Constable Martin Cromwell told CBC News.
“We just want to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there is family members and co-workers involved.”