Canada’s Halifax Regional Police said a 19-year-old Sikh woman was found dead inside a walk-in oven of the Walmart store's bakery department, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday.
"The woman, who was an employee of the store, was located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department," the police said in a statement.
Withholding the identity of the deceased woman, the Halifax Regional Police said the investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death can be confirmed.
Police said they were called to the 6990 Mumford Road store on Saturday night around 9:30 pm (local time) and found the woman, who had been working that day and was employed with Walmart's bakery department.
“We understand the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there are family members and coworkers involved,” PTI quoted HRP Constable Martin Cromwell as saying.
"The investigation is complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time," he added.
“We urge the public to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media,” HRP said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Canada’s CTV News reported the Maritime Sikh Society as saying that the deceased woman was a member of their community.
“It’s very sad for us, for her family as well, because she came for a better future and she lost her life,” the CTV news quoted Anmolpreet Singh of Maritime Sikh Society as saying.
The Globe and Mail newspaper reported that the deceased woman had recently moved to Canada from India.
The store remained closed since Saturday night after the province’s labour department issued stop-work order while the investigation is ongoing.
"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
Nova Scotia’s medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death, and the province’s Department of Health and Safety is taking part in the investigation.
