Walmart employee found dead in walk-in oven: police

Canadian police said Tuesday they are investigating after a 19-year-old Walmart employee was found dead in a store's walk-in oven.

Officers responded to Walmart in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday evening after the employee was found dead, police said.

“The woman, an employee of the store, was found in a large walk-in oven that was part of the bakery section of the store,” Halifax Regional Police said in an update Tuesday.

Investigators are working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service, police said.

The cause and manner of death had not yet been determined as of Tuesday, police said, describing the investigation as “complex.”

“An investigation of this nature can take a significant amount of time,” police said.

The Walmart store is closed until further notice pending the investigation, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and his family,” Walmart spokeswoman Amanda Moss said in a statement to ABC News. “Our focus remains on looking after our employees and ensuring they receive the support they need.”

Walmart is offering its employees on-site support, including grief counseling, as well as access to virtual care, Moss said in a statement to ABC News affiliate CTV News.

Nova Scotia's Ministry of Labor, Skills and Immigration said a stop-work order was issued Tuesday for the bakery and an appliance 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 that workplace investigations “are complex and can take time.”