Editor’s note: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
Halifax-based Walmart Canada worker Gursimran Kaur, 19, died in the store’s walk-in oven on Saturday.
Her charred body was found by her mother, who worked at the same store.
The horrifying incident made headlines, and an investigation is in progress.
Fundraiser reaches quadruple its goal
On October 23, Kaur’s family and the Maritime Sikh Society set up a GoFundMe fundraiser, sharing that donations will directly benefit her family.
“This family’s sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time,” the organizers shared.
Kaur’s father and brother are in India, and efforts are being made to bring them to Canada as soon as possible. The family did not reveal more information, citing the ongoing police investigation.
Maritime Sikh Society Executive/GoFundMe
The fundraiser met its $50,000 goal within hours. However, after raising $194,949, the organizers have deactivated it.
The page was updated with new messages from the organizers on Thursday. They shared that they were getting calls and messages from people worldwide wanting to help and, out of respect for them, would leave the fundraiser open temporarily despite its goal being met.
Comments on the page show well-wishers requesting that donations remain open.
“People want to help in any way they can, and making sure the family has a source of income is critical. They should not have to worry about paying rent at such a tragic time,” wrote Banjot Sidhu.
“People want to help. I think this should be left open. No one should ever die at work, and no one should ever see their child in that state,” Shara Cody added.
Shortly after, the following message was posted by the organizers:
“Target has been reached, and we are grateful for everyone’s kindness and generosity. We are unable to pause the fundraiser ourselves for some reason, so we have requested GoFundMe to close it from their side. They are looking into it right at this time. Your support is very helpful for this grieving family. We can’t thank you enough.”
On Friday, organizers said they were beginning to distribute the funds to the family.
“Your contributions will help them in their next steps, and we cannot thank you enough for standing with them during this painful period,” they added.
What we know about Kaur and her death
On October 19, Kaur was found burned to death inside the store’s walk-in oven, and the authorities were called immediately.
Before police confirmation on October 21, several social media discussions about the story also alluded to an oven. However, authorities urged the public to be “mindful of sharing speculative information on social media.”
In a revised statement published Tuesday, Halifax Regional Police said the woman was “located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department.”
They added that the investigation had “not reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed.”
Maritime Sikh Society/GoFundMe | Retail Photographer/Shutterstock
“The investigation is complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time,” said police.
In the description of the fundraiser set up for her family, Kaur is described as a “young, beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams.”
Her family shared heartbreaking and horrific details of the way she was found.
“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 fundraiser’s description reads. “She asked around, but everyone brushed [her] aside, thinking that she may be somewhere helping a customer; Walmart is a superstore, after all!”
Kaur has worked with her mother at the Mumford Road store for two years.
That day, her mother shared that she wasn’t reachable by phone, and she began to panic as it was unusual for the 19-year-old to turn the device off during the day. She contacted the onsite administration for assistance.
“As you all know now, her charred remains were found inside the walk-in oven in the bakery after a few hours. Imagine the horror that her mother experienced who herself opened the oven when someone pointed out the ‘leakage’ from it!” the fundraiser page further reads.
Comments from Walmart Canada
In a previous statement to Daily Hive, Walmart Canada said it was “heartbroken” over the employee’s death. A spokesperson said, “Our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family. ”
Daily Hive followed up with the superstore chain after the fundraiser was set up but has not received updated comments yet. We will update this story when we hear back.
“The Halifax Regional Police is aware of the GoFundMe, but we did not provide or release any such details, so we cannot speak to them or the fundraiser,” authorities told us on Thursday. “The investigation is complex and ongoing, and we do not have any further updates to provide to the public at this time.”
With files from Simran Singh