# Walmart employee found dead in Walk in Oven **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150 "2024-10-24T14:46:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/81 "2024-10-26T14:30:28Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Has anyone suspected suicide yet? Crazy way to go but turning it on and sitting down inside when no one is around is a pretty straight forward way to end it all. - I can’t believe anyone would be so determined to kill themselves to go through that much pain. There’s plenty of OTC medicine that would do the job. Hell, alcohol would be enough. ---
**Author:** ![Everlong88](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/everlong88/32/17800_2.png) [@Everlong88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Everlong88)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/82 "2024-10-26T14:39:18Z")
I wonder if she wasn’t just cleaning inside with a strong chemical with the door closed and lost consciousness, like someone speculated about earlier in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/83 "2024-10-26T14:40:20Z")
If the video above applies to ovens at all Walmart locations, that door didn’t close by itself. To be clear, I’m not saying oven in question can’t be closed by accident, but the video makes it appear as though you have to actually push it shut. Also, ISTM, the door needs to be pushed shut, not as a safety mechanism, but because the interior is sealed well enough that the air pressure prevents it from closing. But a bad seal or something else letting air escape might mitigate that ‘safety feature’. Interestingly, walk-in freezers have the opposite mechanism. They have a valve that lets air out as you close the door, specifically so it doesn’t bounce back open. Your car has them as well, usually hidden behind the rear bumper. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/84 "2024-10-26T14:48:00Z")
And I’ll say it again: I don’t see how both she and an oven rack could fit in there, so there was no reason for the heat to be turned on under normal circumstances…you can’t miss that she’s in there while pushing in a rack. ETA there’s a second Walmart employee video showing how difficult it is to close the oven door without pushing on it, so that checks out. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/85 "2024-10-26T15:00:33Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > And I’ll say it again: I don’t see how both she and an oven rack could fit in there, so there was no reason for the heat to be turned on under normal circumstances…you can’t miss that she’s in there while pushing in a rack. I’ve never worked in a commercial bakery - but I would think that commercial baking requires a pre-heated oven , just like home baking. Which means the oven would be turned on before the rack goes in. My oven takes 15 minutes or so to pre-heat but I’m sure a walk-in takes longer. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/86 "2024-10-26T15:08:52Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I’ve never worked in a commercial bakery - but I would think that commercial baking requires a pre-heated oven , just like home baking Hmm, good point. I was thinking of the proof boxes we used where we’d roll the rack in and turn it on, but the oven is probably different. (our oven was a giant box with horizontal rotating shelves, with gas flames at the bottom, and no pre-heating occurred, since we usually eyeballed to see when baking was ready) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/87 "2024-10-26T16:18:04Z")
Walmart and other stores have a lot of video. Hopefully one angle catches the bakery. Walmart should have welcomed the Tik Tok. It shows clearly their oven equipment has safety latches. I would call that _good publicity_. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/88 "2024-10-26T16:37:46Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > ETA: hey, I followed my ellipsis with a goddamned period like yer supposed to, why is it showing as 3, not 4? Because this program was written by an arrogant sod who thought he knew more about what you type than you do. Same reason numbered lists get indented without your permission. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/89 "2024-10-26T18:29:19Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > written by an arrogant sod who thought he knew more about what you type than you do Dang, don’t hold back, dude. Tell us how you _really_ feel. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/90 "2024-10-26T19:03:05Z")
I still think foul play is the most likely explanation, but if not, then probably there just wasn’t anyone else on shift at the bakery station at the time, so there was nobody to notice. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/91 "2024-10-26T19:07:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > probably there just wasn’t anyone else on shift at the bakery station at the time, so there was nobody to notice. But I would assume that every inch in a Walmart is covered by surveillance cameras, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/92 "2024-10-26T19:15:59Z")
[quote=“EinsteinsHund, post:91, topic:1009150”] But I would assume that every inch in a Walmart is covered by surveillance cameras, isn’t it? [/quote] While they do have cameras the majority of the ones seen hanging from the rafters are dummy units for theft deterrents. The active ones I assume are pointed at more strategic locations where trouble arrises. Cash registers, exits, high-dollar theft items, operations room where the safe is, etc. Not a lot of need to focus on the employee bakery area. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/93 "2024-10-26T19:19:20Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Not a lot of need to focus on the employee bakery area. Are you kidding? That’s where all the dough is. Man, I’m a riot. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/94 "2024-10-26T19:19:48Z")
And even if there was a camera looking at the bakery area, it’s not like someone would have been monitoring it 24/7. Footage from such a camera might help to solve this case, but it probably wouldn’t have prevented it. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/95 "2024-10-26T19:34:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Footage from such a camera might help to solve this case, but it probably wouldn’t have prevented it. Not having prevented it, but probably help to reveal what happened. With memory storage so cheap nowadays, there should be at least recordings of every camera for the last 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/96 "2024-10-26T20:32:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Walmart and other stores have a lot of video. Hopefully one angle catches the bakery. My thought as well. With all the surveillance in a modern Walmart, it shouldn’t be _that_ hard to get a sense of who was where, or who could have been somewhere, based on compiling all the video, even if there isn’t a camera in that specific part of the store. > Walmart should have welcomed the Tik Tok. It shows clearly their oven equipment has safety latches. It also shows two employees behaving unsafely in the workplace (anytime you walk into something that could kill you on the job, when not strictly required by the work being performed, is, no matter how slight the risk, unsafe). Which, if they don’t come down on (at least with a warning), they could be accused of condoning such unsafe behaviors. As we would often say in the Navy, where I was responsible for operating, and supervising other people in the operation of, all manner of dangerous things, “inherently dangerous” should never mean “unsafe.” ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/97 "2024-10-26T20:39:05Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I can’t believe anyone would be so determined to kill themselves to go through that much pain. There’s plenty of OTC medicine that would do the job. Hell, alcohol would be enough. It’s weird and inexplicable to me, but people have not only killed themselves but done so in excruciatingly painful ways. I’d prefer not to think that is what happened here but it is a possibility. > [@Everlong88](#): > > I wonder if she wasn’t just cleaning inside with a strong chemical with the door closed and lost consciousness, like someone speculated about earlier in the thread. This is also possible. And of course there is also foul play. Or a “prank” gone wrong. Probably other possibilities we haven’t thought of. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/98 "2024-10-26T20:41:35Z")
Heck, it could have been the mother! Not that I think it likely, but, well… don’t investigations often start (and sometimes even end) with the person who discovered the body? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/99 "2024-10-26T20:44:51Z")
Having on two occasions discovered a dead body myself - no, not necessarily. Then again, I was completely unconnected to either of those unfortunate individuals. Mom probably has an alibi if her phone could show her at some other location, which most of them can these days. Let the investigators investigate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150/100 "2024-10-26T20:48:20Z")
I believe her mother was working at the same store, during the same shift, so her location all night could probably be determined fairly easily. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-employee-found-dead-in-walk-in-oven/1009150.md?page=6)