Nearly eighteen months after the tragic death of her teenage daughter at a Walmart bakery, a grieving mother says she still has many unanswered questions.
Nineteen-year-old Gursimran Kaur was found dead on October 19, 2024, inside a large commercial oven used for baking frozen bread at a Walmart location in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to reports, she had been working a shift at the store alongside her mother, Mandip Kaur, when the devastating incident occurred.
During their shift, Mandip eventually became concerned after realizing she had not seen or heard from her daughter for more than an hour. At first, coworkers believed Gursimran might have stepped away to assist customers elsewhere in the store. However, concern quickly intensified when an employee noticed liquid leaking near the bakery’s industrial oven—an unusual sight that suggested something might be seriously wrong.
Mandip went to inspect the area herself, where she made the heartbreaking discovery.
“I opened the door and she was there,” Mandip told the Daily Mail. “I couldn’t handle myself. I was there on the floor with her for five or ten minutes. I didn’t understand what had happened.”
She also described noticing a dark liquid near the oven, which is capable of reaching temperatures of around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Authorities later confirmed that Gursimran’s body had been discovered near the baking racks inside the oven. Investigators from Halifax Regional Police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed store employees while examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
After completing their review, officials stated that the death was not considered suspicious, according to reporting from NBC News.
A separate workplace investigation was conducted by Nova Scotia’s Department of Labor, Skills, and Immigration. Officials concluded that the oven had been operating normally and reported that there were no violations of workplace health or safety regulations connected to the tragedy.
Greg Hanna, the department’s Director of Communications, explained that the oven was designed so that it could be opened from the inside and that investigators found no evidence suggesting any safety rules had been broken.
Despite these findings, Mandip Kaur and other family members say they remain dissatisfied with the investigation’s conclusions.
“After 18 months of investigation they still cannot explain what happened,” Mandip said. “They couldn’t find anything solid. They don’t know. They don’t have proof. We are not satisfied.”
Mandip has strongly rejected any suggestion that her daughter may have intentionally harmed herself. She says Gursimran had appeared happy and positive shortly before the incident.
“Does she look depressed? She was so happy,” Mandip said.
According to relatives, Gursimran had been the valedictorian of her graduating class and had plans to pursue medical studies with the dream of becoming a doctor.
The tragedy also deeply affected the surrounding community. Following the incident, the Walmart store remained closed for approximately four months.
When the location eventually reopened, several changes had been made. The bakery department was moved to a different area of the store, and the original industrial ovens had been replaced with smaller units.
For Mandip, however, these changes have not brought the closure she continues to seek.
Although official investigations have concluded, she says she still hopes for a clearer explanation of how such a devastating event occurred—and why the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death remain unresolved.
