The 19-year-old Walmart employee whose body was discovered inside a Canadian superstore was found inside a “large walk-in oven,” police have confirmed.
The unidentified employee “was located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department,” the Halifax Regional Police Department in Nova Scotia said in an update late Tuesday.
However, the department stressed: “It is important to note that the investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed.”
The investigation into the “sudden death” Saturday at the Nova Scotia Walmart is “complex” and “may take a significant amount of time,” the department said, without stating if it was being eyed as potential criminal.
The dead worker has yet to be identified.
However, she was a member of the local Sikh community who only moved to Canada a few years ago from India, local community leaders told reporters.
Walmart told Global News that it was working with cops and that “out of respect for the associate and their family, we cannot provide any additional information.”
Canada’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration also issued a stop-work order for the bakery and “one piece of equipment,” according to CTV News.
“As this is an active investigation, we cannot release further details at this time,” the department told the outlet.
“Please note, workplace investigations are complex and can take time.”
As of Tuesday, the Halifax store remained closed. Authorities or Walmart officials have yet to say when the store will reopen.
Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss told the CBC that staff members were given access to virtual and on-site support, including grief counseling.
“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” she said in a statement. “We extend our sincerest condolences to those who were closest to them.”
Police urged the public to be “mindful of sharing speculative information on social media.”
“Please be aware of the impacts that speculation could have on family, colleagues, and loved ones of the woman,” police wrote
