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| - In late August 2024, news broke about the tragic death of Denise Prudhomme, a 60-year-old employee at Wells Fargo financial corporation's Tempe, Arizona, office. Reports said her body remained undiscovered at her desk for four days after she last clocked in.
Both the Tempe Police Department and Wells Fargo confirmed key details of the incident, verifying that Prudhomme died while at work, and that her body was not found for several days.
According to a Tempe PD statement sent via email:
Tempe PD responded to the Wells Fargo location in Tempe at 1150 W Washington St on 08-20-24 after on-site security called about an employee, Denise Prudhomme (60 years old) and believed she was dead in a cubicle located on the third floor of the building. Denise was pronounced dead at 4:55PM.
We can confirm Denise was a Wells Fargo employee. Denise last scanned into the building on Friday at approximately 7am and there is no further scan in or out.
The cause of death is a determination made by the Office of Medical Examiner (coroner in AZ). Based on the timeline we provided, last scanned in on Friday 08-16-24 at 7am and located 08-20-24 at 4:55PM.
The preliminary investigation did not show any obvious signs of foul play. We have no further information at this time as this is an on-going investigation.
Prudhomme last scanned into the building on the morning of Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, at 7 a.m. Her body was found four days later on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
According to numerous reports, Prudhomme's third floor cubicle was located in an underpopulated area with little foot traffic. Several people reportedly noticed a foul odor but attributed it to plumbing issues. A security guard reportedly found her body and called 911.
A Wells Fargo employee who spoke anonymously to local Phoenix-area NBC affiliate 12News expressed shock, telling the outlet: "To hear she's been sitting at the desk like that would make me feel sick," adding, "And nobody did anything. That's how she spent her last moments."
Wells Fargo expressed sorrow over Prudhomme's death in a statement sent via email:
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Denise Prudhomme. 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. Counselors are available to support any employees impacted by this event.
The company also said there were no additional details available, as of this writing, that the organization was "fully cooperating" with the ongoing investigation conducted by the Tempe PD, and has deferred additional inquiries to law enforcement officials.
Although authorities ruled out foul play, the Maricopa County medical examiner had not yet released the official cause or time of death, which remained pending, as of this writing. While Prudhomme last clocked into the office on Aug. 16, it remains unclear precisely when she died.
Snopes has previously fact checked claims about people dying at work, including a false claim about a man who died at his office desk and went unnoticed for five days, and a Frito-Lay worker who died on the assembly line.
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