Canadian police investigating death of Walmart employee found in store’s walk-in oven

Toronto — Police in eastern Canada are investigating the death of a 19-year-old woman who was found inside a walk-in oven at a Walmart store in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Authorities received a call reporting a death Saturday night, prompting the evacuation of the store. The deceased woman, a Walmart employee, was found inside the walk-in oven in the store’s bakery department. 

Halifax Regional Police did not name the woman and said the cause of her death was still being determined.

“Investigators are working closely with Occupational Health and Safety and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service to determine the cause and manner of death,” the Halifax police said. “The investigation is complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time.”

Amanda Moss, a spokesperson for Walmart Canada, said the company was deeply saddened by the employee’s death. In a statement to CBS News, Moss said the store in question would remain closed until further notice to allow for further investigation and for employees to process the situation. 

“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family. Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need,” Moss said. 

According to Canadian media, the woman was identified as a member of the Sikh community who had moved to Canada with her mother in recent years. 

“It’s a really tragic incident and everybody is deeply hurt by this, and we are waiting for the police investigation to come out,” Balbir Singh, the secretary of the Maritime Sikh Society, told CBS News’ partner network in Canada, CBC News. “We would like to know what happened to this young woman.”

Ahmad Mukhtar

Ahmad Mukhtar is a producer for CBS News based in Toronto, Canada. He covers politics, conflict and terrorism, with a focus on news from Canada and his home nation of Afghanistan, which he left following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.