Employees at a Halifax, Nova Scotia Walmart came across a grisly scene inside their store over the weekend after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside a store’s walk-in bakery oven.
“The woman, who was an employee of the store, was located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department,” Halifax Regional Police said in an update on Tuesday.
Investigators are working with Occupational Health and Safety and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service, police said.
The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined as of Tuesday, police said, calling the investigation “complex.”
“An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time,” police said.
The Walmart store is closed until further notice amid the investigation, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss said in a statement.
“Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need.”
The Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration said a stop work order was issued Tuesday for the bakery and a piece of equipment at the Walmart store.
“As this is an active investigation, we cannot release further details at this time,” the department said in a statement, adding workplace investigations “are complex and can take time.”