A 60-year-old Wells Fargo employee was found dead in her cubicle at the bank’s corporate office in Tempe, Ariz., and police believe she may have been there unnoticed for four days.
Denise Prudhomme was found unresponsive at her desk Tuesday, Aug. 20, prompting building security to call 911. Officers arrived and pronounced her dead at 4:55 p.m.
Prudhomme had last scanned into work the previous Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 a.m. There was no indication that she left the building after that.
A cause of death has not yet been determined but police have not found any evidence of foul play. The Tempe Police Department is leading the investigation and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner is looking into how Prudhomme died.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Denise Prudhomme,” Wells Fargo said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and we are in contact to ensure they are well supported during this difficult time. We are committed to the safety and wellness of our workforce.”
Counsellors have been made available to support employees, the company said.
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One bank associate who spoke anonymously to local broadcaster 12News said they felt “uneasy” knowing that Prudhomme’s remains may have gone unnoticed for four days.
“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.”
“It’s really heartbreaking and I’m thinking, ‘What if I were just sitting there?’” the worker added. “No one would check on me?”
The employee said that it was a colleague who found Prudhomme dead while they were walking around the building. Several people had smelled a foul odour in the office but passed it off as faulty plumbing.
While most employees at the Wells Fargo corporate office work remotely, the building has 24-7 security, the anonymous source added.
Prudhomme worked in an underpopulated area of the building, on the third floor away from the main aisle.
— with files from The Associated Press
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