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A probe has been launched after a Wells Fargo employee was found dead at her desk four days after scanning into her office building.
The 60-year-old worker in Tempe, Arizona, signed into the Wells Fargo office at 7am on Friday, August 16, and was only found on August 20 after other workers noticed a bad odor.
On-site security called Tempe police on Tuesday about an employee they believed was dead. At 4.55pm, she was pronounced dead, the police reported.
The police said that an initial investigation showed no obvious signs of foul play, but the official cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Denise Prudhomme,” a statement from Wells Fargo said Thursday. “Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and we are in contact to ensure they are well supported during this difficult time.”
Why did it take four days for someone to notice the dead employee?
Wells Fargo said it is "reviewing our own internal procedures after this event."
It isn’t yet clear exactly why it took so long for Prudhomme to be discovered. After scanning into the office on Friday, her badge was not scanned in or out of the office, but no alert was raised.
An employee, speaking anonymously to 12News, said they found Prudhomme dead at her cubicle while walking around the office.
According to a report by KPNX of Phoenix, the employee worked on the third floor in a cubicle away from the main aisle, an area that Wells Fargo said was underpopulated.
Another employee, again speaking under the condition of confidentiality, said that many workers had smelled a foul odor but mistakenly thought it was faulty plumbing.
Wells Fargo to offer counseling to staff affected by "heartbreaking" tragedy
The bank reiterated it is "committed to the safety and wellness of our workforce,” and has offered counselors to support employees. Employees were informed of the death after Prudhomme’s family had been told.
One confidential Wells Fargo team member, talking to 12News said it was “heartbreaking” and raised the concern about how Prudhomme was left unnoticed for so long.
“I’m thinking, ‘What if I were just sitting there? No one would check on me?’” they said. “To hear she’s been sitting at the desk like that would make me feel sick … and nobody did anything. That’s how she spent her last moments.”
Wells Fargo said it would “fully” cooperate with the Tempe police department, answering all further questions necessary to aid the investigation.
