Police have confirmed the body of the 19-year-old female employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found inside a walk-in oven in the store’s bakery.
“The woman, who was an employee of the store, was located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department,” Halifax Regional Police said in an Oct. 22 release.
Officers were called to the Walmart store on Mumford Road in the city’s west end at 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 where they found the woman dead. Police have yet to release the victim’s name and have not said if the death is considered suspicious.
“The investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed,” police said.
The department said its investigators are working closely with Occupational Health and Safety and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service.
A recording of the 9-1-1 call received by dispatchers confirmed the employee was trapped in the oven while it was turned on.
“Female is locked in an oven in the bakery. Oven is on,” the dispatcher told emergency responders. “Unsure if the staff are able to turn it off.”
The store was shut down after the Oct. 19 incident and remains temporarily closed as the company cooperates with the police investigation, Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss told The Epoch Times on Oct. 22.
News of the 19-year-old’s death has sparked rumours and speculation across social media, something the police are asking the public to rein in.
“We urge the public to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media,” police said. “Please be aware of the impacts that speculation could have on family, colleagues and loved ones of the woman.”
The Maritime Sikh Society has told several media outlets that the Walmart employee who died was a member of their community. She reportedly moved to Nova Scotia a few years ago and originally hailed from India.
Moss said Walmart is providing staff members with access to 24/7 virtual care and on-site support, including grief counselling.
“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” Moss said. “We extend our sincerest condolences to those who were closest to them.”
She declined to release any further details about the incident “out of respect for the associate and their family” and referred further inquiries to Halifax police.
