Canada police on Monday concluded their investigation into the death of Indian-origin woman Gursimran Kaur, who was found dead inside a walk-in oven of the Walmart store’s bakery department last month.
In an official statement, the Halifax police said the investigation determined the death was “not suspicious” and there was “no evidence of foul play”.
The 19-year-old was found dead in one of the superstore’s appliances in Halifax on October 19. According to reports, she was found charred to death by her mother, who also worked at the store for the last two years.
“We understand that there have been many questions about what happened. Thorough investigations take time,” Martin Cromwell, the Public Information Officer of the Halifax Regional Police, said.
“As a part of the investigation, we conducted several interviews and reviewed video footage. I can share that our investigation has not led us to suspect foul play. We do not believe anyone else was involved. We acknowledge the public’s interest in this case, and that there are questions that can never be answered,” he added.
Statement on Sudden Death Investigation pic.twitter.com/0IsyAfMkzX
— Halifax_Police (@HfxRegPolice) November 18, 2024
Last month, the Halifax police said the investigation was “complex” and involved several partner agencies.
According to reports, Gursimran Kaur worked at Walmart for two years alongside her mother. Her father and brother live in India.
After her death, Walmart employees suggested that Ms Kaur was locked in a walk-in oven and “baked to death”.
A TikTok video by Chris Breezie, a co-worker, went viral last month, in which she said that the oven she used while working at Walmart turned on from the outside and that the door handle was “really hard” to open.
“I don’t even know if I would fit in here,” Breezie, who claimed she was 5 foot 1, said while demonstrating how the oven at Walmart works. “I would have to crouch down to get in.”
She pointed out that there was an emergency latch located inside the oven and that there were no tasks that required a worker to enter the oven physically.
“There is no way possible somebody could lock themselves in there,” she said in the video.
Another employee, Mary, said it “doesn’t make any sense” as the door does not close by itself.
“It’s designed not to do that. You have to push it, hear the click,” she said.
“I’m not trying to theorize or form a conspiracy, it’s just hard to wrap my head around it when Walmart’s bakery ovens are so safe to use,” she added.
