Authorities in Canada have identified Gursimran Kaur, the 19-year-old immigrant from India who was found dead in an oven at Walmart’s bakery department on Oct. 19.
According to People, officials said Kaur worked at the Walmart on Mumford Road in the Canadian city of Halifax. Balbir Singh, a secretary with the Maritime Sikh Society, told People that the community has launched a GoFundMe page for Kaur’s family.
“We are a Sikh Gurdwara, the biggest in Atlantic provinces in Canada,” Singh said. “This fundraising started with permission from the immediate family, and all the proceedings will go to [Gursimran’s] mother.”
Kaur worked at the Walmart with her mother, according to the GoFundMe page. The pair were working the same shift on Oct. 19, but Kaur’s mother became worried when she didn’t see her child for more than an hour. The anxious mother tried to call her child, but she didn’t get an answer, the family’s supporters said.
“Mother started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day. She reached out to the onsite admin for help,” the GoFundMe page stated. “Her remains were found inside the walk in oven in the Bakery after a few hours. Imagine the horror that her mother experienced when she opened the oven, when someone pointed it out to her!”
The community leaders added that Gursimran’s father and brother are in India, but the goal is to bring them to Canada as soon as possible.
“This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time,” the Maritime Sikh Society stated as the community continues its effort to raise funds for the family.
Speaking to People, Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss said Kaur’s colleagues are “heartbroken” over the tragedy and the store is closed “until further notice.”
“Our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” Moss told People. “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.”
Although police haven’t yet released much details on the tragedy, The Daily Mail obtained audio of an emergency call regarding the Oct. 19 incident. The dispatcher in the audio can be heard saying that she’s reporting a “technical rescue call.”
“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.
Another official who spoke to the dispatcher a short time later said “the person was out of the oven upon arrival” and regional police are handling the matter.
Martin Cromwell, a police officer in Halifax, is urging the public to be patient with the investigation.
“We understand the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there are family members and coworkers involved,” Cromwell said, per The Daily Mail.
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