An investigation is underway after a 60-year-old Wells Fargo employee was left deceased at her desk for four entire days before she was discovered.
In what was presumably a typical day at the office, Denise Prudhomme scanned in for work at around 7 am on August 17th at the Wells Fargo branch in Tempe, Arizona.
However, she is believed to have died at some point during that day after she never scanned out of the premises.
Four days later, on-site security is understood to have found her in her cubicle, at which point they contacted the emergency services.
Prudhomme was then pronounced dead at 16:55. A cause of death has still not been determined, although there are not believed to be any signs of foul play.
However, questions are now being asked about how she could possibly have gone unnoticed for so long.
One worker, speaking to local media affiliate KPNX on the condition of anonymity, expressed her concern about the troubling situation.
The outlet reported:
The body was found inside the Wells Fargo corporate office in Tempe. An associate who spoke with 12News anonymously said the situation is troubling.
“To hear she’s been sitting at the desk like that would make me feel sick,” the worker said. “And nobody did anything. That’s how she spent her last moments.”
…
Another employee who spoke with 12News anonymously said a colleague found Prudhomme dead at her desk in a cubicle while walking around the building. Prudhomme’s cubicle was reportedly on the third floor and away from the main aisle. That employee said several people smelled a foul odor but passed it off as faulty plumbing.
They said while most employees at the Wells Fargo office work remote, the building has 24/7 security and someone should have found Prudhomme sooner. “That’s the scary part. That’s the uneasy part,” the employee said. “It’s negligence in some part.”
Police are now investigating the circumstances around the incident. In a statement, Wells Fargo did not acknowledge any possible negligence on behalf of their branch.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague at our Tempe office,” the statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
“Counselors, through our Employee Assistance Consulting service, are available to support our employees,” they continued. “We are fully cooperating with the Tempe Police Department in their investigation and will direct all further questions to them.”
