Police say death of young woman found in Halifax Walmart walk-in oven not suspicious

HALIFAX — The death of a young Halifax woman whose body was recently found in a Walmart’s walk-in oven was not suspicious and did not involve foul play, police said Monday.

The death of the 19-year-old employee in the store’s bakery was reported on Oct. 19.

“We do not believe that anyone else was involved in the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death,” Halifax Regional Police Const. Martin Cromwell said in a video posted on the police force’s Facebook page.

“We acknowledge the public’s interest in this case and that there are questions that may never have answers. Please be mindful of the damage public speculation can cause. This woman’s loved ones are grieving.”

Cromwell went on to say investigators had conducted several interviews, reviewed video footage, and worked with the Labour Department and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service.

Police said they had informed the woman’s family of their findings.

“The family asks the public to respect their privacy and the dignity and memory of their loved one, as they receive this news,” police said in a separate statement.

A Sikh organization had earlier confirmed the body of Gursimran Kaur was found by her mother, who had worked with her daughter at the Mumford Road store for about two years. The Maritime Sikh Society says Kaur, a Sikh woman originally from India, had immigrated to Canada with her mother.

The society issued a statement last month saying that on the night of Oct. 19, the mother became frantic after her daughter failed to answer her phone during the Saturday night shift. The mother, whose name was not released, eventually opened the bakery oven and found her daughter’s burned body, the statement said.

She was “a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams,” the society said on an online fundraising page.

On Oct. 30, the organization said Kaur’s father and brother were headed to Halifax from the Punjab region of India, having received emergency visas on compassionate grounds.

Balbir Singh, secretary of the Maritime Sikh Society, issued a statement Monday saying family members did not want to speak with members of the media, adding that they had also asked the society not to make any statements on their behalf.

With the police investigation into possible criminality completed, the labour department confirmed Monday that it has assumed the lead role in an ongoing workplace investigation.

“Workplace investigations are complex and take time,” the department said.

The department had imposed a stop-work order on the bakery soon after the death was reported, but that order was lifted on Oct. 28 when it was determined those operating the commercial oven had been following the manufacturer’s requirements.

At the time, the department said that in the last five years, labour investigators had conducted nine inspections at the store, none of which produced any enforcement action.

On Nov. 7, Walmart said the oven would be removed from the store.

As of Monday, the store remained closed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press