Almost a month after a 19-year-old Indian-origin woman was found dead inside a walk-in oven of a Walmart in Canada's Halifax, the investigation authorities have ruled out "suspicions."
A statement issued by the Halifax Regional Police on Monday morning said the "sudden death that occurred on October 19 in Halifax has been determined not to be suspicious." However, the police clarified that there are questions over 19-year-old Gursimran Kaur's death "that we might never have answers".
Kaur was found dead inside the walk-in oven of a Walmart store by her mother, who also worked in the same place, on October 19. After Kaur went missing for over an hour, she tried calling her on her phone. After her call went unanswered, Kaur's mother started searching for her daughter, eventually finding her dead inside the walk-in-oven. She discovered the body after a colleague in the bakery section pointed out a "leakage" from inside the walk-in oven.
Kaur and her mother migrated from India to Canada about three years ago. Kaur's father and brother are still in India.
Though the Halifax police ruled out murder, they have not yet released details of the investigation, including how Kaur ended up in the oven and how she died. They also did not comment on how they concluded that her death wasn't suspicious.
"We do not believe anyone else was involved in the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. The Department of Labour and Medical Examiners Service are continuing their work, but we do not believe the death to be suspicious," said the police.
There were complaints about how the investigation into the case was lagging.
Stating that "thorough investigations take time", the police said they conducted multiple interviews, reviewed video footage and worked closely with medical examiner and labour department officials to unravel the mystery behind the death.
Police said this update could be the final on the case "out of respect for the family" but the investigation still remains active. Earlier reports had said how Kaur's mother is "shattered and psychologically in pain and agony."
The Walmart at Halifax was Walmart has since removed the oven.