Gursimran Kaur death: What investigations reveal about Indian woman’s body in Canada’s Walmart oven

A 19-year-old Indian-origin Sikh woman’s death in Canada’s Halifax a month ago shocked the country.

Gursimran Kaur was found dead inside a walk-in oven of the Walmart store’s bakery department on October 19.

Canada police have now concluded their investigation into the case, saying the death was “not suspicious."

Here’s a detailed report on what the authorities have said.

‘No evidence of foul play’

In an official statement, the Halifax police said the investigation determined the death was “not suspicious” and there was “no evidence of foul play.”

“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.

He added, “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.”

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Police have not disclosed the deceased’s identity, but in a GoFundMe page, the Gurudwara Maritime Sikh Society — a group for Sikh immigrants — identified her as Gursimran Kaur. Over $194,000 was raised for Kaur’s family through the now-closed campaign, as per USA Today.

Investigators met the family to share this update and extend condolences. “Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time,” the police statement said.

According to the Halifax police, the investigation was “complex,” including cooperation from several partner agencies.

Even with the conclusion, there are still several unresolved questions in the case, especially regarding Kaur’s dying circumstances.

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Unanswered questions

Employees at Walmart said that Kaur was “baked to death” after being locked in a walk-in oven.

Chris Breezie, a coworker, claimed in a TikTok video that went viral last month that the oven she used at Walmart switched on from the outside and that the door handle was “really hard” to open.

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Breezie, who claimed to be five foot one, stated, “I don’t even know if I would fit in here,” as she demonstrated how Walmart’s oven operates, adding that to get in, one would have to squat down.

Here's a demonstration by Walmart employees showing how 19 yr old, Gursimran Kaur, COULD NOT have locked herself in the oven of a Nova Scotia Walmart store.
The media, Canadian police, & Walmart, is doing just what the media, police, & Crown Plaza did to Kenneka Jenkins. #CoverUp pic.twitter.com/VYYOcBZL5s

— Cₕₑᵣₑₗₗₑ bₑ ₜₐₗₖᵢₙ ₛₕᵢₜ! 🖕🏽 Fuck This Shit! (@DFiosa) October 28, 2024

She stressed that no task needed a person to physically enter the oven and that there was an emergency lock inside the oven.

“There is no way possible somebody could lock themselves in there,” she said in the video.

According to The Mirror, Mary, another employee, claimed that the door “does not make any sense” because it does not close on its own. “It’s designed not to do that. You have to push it, hear the click,” she said.

“I’m not trying to theorise 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.

Meanwhile, Walmart has declined to comment further on the incident’s details following the end of the investigation.

The death

Gursimran Kaur, 19, was found dead inside a walk-in oven at the Walmart on 6990 Mumford Road in Halifax on the evening of October 19.

Walk-in ovens, sometimes referred to as truck-in ovens or batch ovens, are huge industrial ovens used in a variety of manufacturing operations. They are large enough for individuals to enter and load or unload things, which is why they are called “walk-in.”

Halifax Regional Police notified on Facebook, “At approximately 9.30 pm, officers responded to a report of a sudden death in the Walmart located at 6990 Mumford Road. A 19-year-old woman, who was an employee of the store, was located deceased in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department.”

When Kaur’s mother could not find her daughter for an hour, she became anxious, according to the GoFundMe website. Eventually, she sought assistance from the on-site administrators of the store. Her body was discovered a few hours later.

Both, mother and daughter worked at Walmart for two years. Her father and brother live in India. The two are from Ludhiana, Punjab, and immigrated to Canada from the UK in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Halifax Walmart remained closed for weeks after the incident. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the business reopened on Monday.

With inputs from agencies