Teenage Walmart Employee Was Found Dead in Store Walk-in Oven by Her Mom, Who Also Worked There: Fundraiser

Mar. 15, 2025

The 19-year-old Walmart worker who wasfound dead inside a walk-in ovenat a store in Canada has been identified.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a member of the Maritime Sikh Society confirmed the victim is Gursimran Kaur, an immigrant from India. The organization set up aGoFundMeon behalf of Kaur’s family.

Gursimran Kaur.GoFundMe

GoFundMe

“We are a Sikh Gurdwara, the biggest in Atlantic provinces in Canada,” Balbir Singh, a secretary with the Maritime Sikh Society, tells PEOPLE. “This fundraising started with permission from the immediate family, and all the proceedings will go to [Gursimran’s] mother.”

Satnam Singh Randhawa, chair of the Maritime Sikh Society board, previously confirmed the woman was a member of the Sikh community, according to theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation.

According to the GoFundMe, Kaur — who was described as “a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams” — and her mother had worked at the Walmart store for two years.

On the night of Oct. 19, her mother allegedly tried to find her daughter after not having seen her for about an hour. She grew worried when Kaur’s phone was unreachable, which the GFM organizers said was unusual since Kaur generally had her phone turned on during the day. The organization then alleged her mom eventually discovered her inside the oven.

Police have not said how the woman got inside the oven. Constable Martin Cromwell tells PEOPLE on Friday, Oct. 25, that the investigation is “complex” and “we do not have any updates to provide at this time.”

A Walmart spokesperson declined to comment about whether “the woman was on shift when she died,” according toThe Canadian Press.

“This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time,” read the fundraiser’s description, which added that all of the donations will go to the family. As of Friday, Oct. 25, the campaign raised over $140,000 ($194,000 Canadian dollars) and has stopped accepting donations.

The GoFundMe also stated that Kaur’s father and brother are currently in India and efforts are being made to fly them to Canada immediately.

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In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss said staff were “heartbroken” and announced the store was closed “until further notice.”

“Our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” Moss said. “Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need. As police have stated, this is a very complex matter and the investigation is ongoing.”

“Female is locked in an oven in the bakery, oven is on, unsure if the staff are able to turn it off,” the dispatcher said in the audio.

An investigation into the woman’s death is ongoing, according to police, who have urged the public “to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media.”

PEOPLE has requested copies of the first responder audio related to the investigation.

source: people.com