OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:25 PM – Wednesday, October 23, 2024
A 19-year-old Walmart employee was found dead inside the store’s walk-in bakery oven.
Advertisement
On October 19th, officials were called to a Walmart located at 6990 Mumford Road in Halifax, Canada, at around 9:30 p.m. to investigate the sudden death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found inside the large walk-in oven.
Officials from the Halifax Police Department said that they have not yet confirmed what the cause and manner of death was.
“The investigation is complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time,” the Halifax Police Department said in a statement.
Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss said in a statement that the store “will be closed until further notice.”
“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,” a Walmart spokesperson said in the statement. “As police have stated, this is a very complex matter and the investigation is ongoing.”
Walmart is offering employees on-site support, including grief counseling, as well as access to virtual care.
The name of the deceased victim has not yet been publicly released.
Investigators are working with Occupational Health and Safety and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service, police said.
The Maritime Sikh Society in Halifax told CBC News that they contacted the victim’s mother, stating that she and her daughter are originally from India and had arrived in Canada two to three years ago.
“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 told the outlet. “We would like to know what happened to this young woman.”
Police have also released a statement saying that an investigation is still ongoing and that it would be “complex” and involve “several partner agencies.”
“An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time,” police said, urging the public “to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below