The body of a young woman who died inside a Walmart walk-in oven in Halifax over the weekend was discovered by her horrified mother while she frantically searched for her daughter inside the store.
According to a GoFundMe page created by the Maritime Sikh Society Executive, 19-year-old Gursimran Kaur was found burned to death Saturday night after she vanished from the floor.
“(On) that evening, like any watchful mother who breathes for her child’s happiness, Gursimran’s mother tried to locate her after not seeing (her) for one hour,” the page reads.
“She asked around, but everyone brushed aside thinking that she may be somewhere helping a customer, Walmart is a superstore after all. Her phone was not reachable.”
The mother found it odd that Gursimran was not answering her phone as they usually keep in touch regularly during their shift and so she started panicking. She reached out to her bosses to see if they knew anything about her whereabouts.
Hours later, fellow employees told the distraught mom to check the large walk-in oven in the store’s bakery section. There she found her daughter’s charred remains.
“Imagine the horror that her mother experienced who herself opened the oven, when someone pointed out to it,” the page said.
Halifax Regional Police said the investigation is ongoing.
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“It is important to note that the investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed,” police said in a statement Tuesday.
“The investigation is complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time.”
According to the GoFundMe page, the mother and daughter are members of the Sikh community and arrived from India. They worked at Walmart for two years.
The victim’s father and brother are in India and the Maritime Sikh Society is working on arranging a flight to Canada for them as soon as possible.
“This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable,” the page said. “They need your support to get through this horrific time.”
As of Thursday morning, more than $87,000 has been raised for the family, surpassing the $50,000 target within 10 hours.
“We are receiving calls and messages from all over the world from people wanting to help,” the group said in an update Thursday. “Respecting everyone’s sentiment, we will keep the fundraiser open for now.”