The heartbroken mother of a teenager who died inside a Walmart bakery oven has revealed the horrifying details of the tragedy that left her daughter unrecognizable.
Mandip Kaur, who worked at the Halifax, Nova Scotia Walmart alongside her daughter, Gursimran Kaur, discovered the 19-year-old’s body on Oct. 19, 2024 after becoming concerned when she couldn’t reach her during her shift in the store’s bakery, according to the Daily Mail.
“I opened the door and she was there,” the grieving mother said earlier this week.
Her mother, Mandip Kaur, said she was devastated after discovering her daughter inside the walk-in commercial oven during a shift at the store.
“I couldn’t handle myself. I was there on the floor with her for five or 10 minutes. I didn’t know what had happened,” Mandip recalled.
The grieving mother said a black-brown liquid resembling tar was seen leaking from the industrial oven, which can reach temperatures of up to 400 degrees and is used in the bakery to cook frozen bread.
According to reports, the tragedy left the teen’s body charred beyond recognition when she was found next to the baking racks inside the oven. The liquid was believed to have come from the victim’s body.
The Walmart store in Halifax closed for four months following Gursimran’s death. During that time, mourners left flowers and tributes tied to a lamp post outside the store in her memory.
When the store later reopened, the in-store bakery had been relocated to another section of the building. The original bakery ovens were replaced, and the only ovens currently visible to customers are smaller models that employees cannot walk into.
Following Gursimran Kaur’s death, mourners left floral tributes outside the Halifax Walmart, which remained closed for four months.
The Halifax Police Department initially investigated her death as a possible homicide, but a month later determined it was not suspicious, according to The Post.
Last month, Nova Scotia’s Department of Labor, Skills and Immigration concluded there were no workplace safety violations connected to the tragedy. The agency found that the oven in which Gursimran died was in proper working condition, the Daily Mail reported.
The Department of Labor cleared Walmart of any wrongdoing. Greg Hanna, Director of Communications for the department, told the outlet that the oven “could be opened from the inside” and that there was no evidence of “violations of occupational health and safety laws [that] contributed to the death.”
These findings from Halifax Police and the Department of Labor have led some to question whether the teen may have taken her own life. Her mother, Mandip Kaur, strongly rejects this theory, emphasizing that Gursimran was happy, loved her family, and was a dedicated student. The teen had been valedictorian of her class and planned to study medicine to become a doctor.
Mandip recalled spending the night before her daughter’s death together, laughing and celebrating with loved ones. “Does she look depressed? She was so happy,” Mandip said.
After Gursimran’s death, her mother even received a package her daughter had ordered for herself, further suggesting she had no intentions of ending her life, according to reports.
Mandip described Gursimran as a typical teenager who enjoyed music, makeup, and shopping, had a close relationship with her parents, and shared a strong bond with her 12-year-old brother.
The lack of definitive answers surrounding Gursimran’s death has only added to the family’s anguish, Mandip said.
