A disturbing event has unfolded at a Wells Fargo office in Tempe, where a 60-year-old employee, Denise Prudhomme, tragically passed away at her desk, and it reportedly took four days before her body was discovered. The unsettling timeline of events has left many employees and community members questioning the safety and awareness protocols within the workplace.
On the morning of Friday, August 16th, Prudhomme clocked in at her office near Washington Street and Priest Drive. However, she never returned home, and it wasn’t until the following Tuesday, August 20th, that her lifeless body was found slumped over her desk by a colleague. This discovery came after several employees noticed a foul odor in the area but dismissed it as a possible issue with the building’s maintenance.
A Tempe police investigation is ongoing, but authorities have stated that foul play is not suspected. Despite this, the incident has ignited concerns among employees, who are now calling for more stringent safety measures. One employee, who spoke with 12 News on the condition of anonymity, expressed shock and fear, describing the office environment as one where many workers are remote, and those present on-site are often isolated.
“It’s a big building, but most people don’t work here daily,” the employee shared. “It’s negligence, in some part, that it took this long for anyone to notice something was wrong.”
Another worker echoed these sentiments, lamenting that it took four days for someone to check on Prudhomme. “How is it that nobody thought to say hi, or just check on her? She was just laying there on her desk.”
In response to the tragedy, Wells Fargo issued a statement expressing their deep sadness over the loss of their colleague and assured that counseling services were being made available to employees. They also noted that the building had been thoroughly cleaned following the incident.
As the Maricopa County Medical Examiner continues to investigate the exact cause of Prudhomme’s death, employees remain uneasy, advocating for better safety protocols and more attentive oversight in the workplace to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.
Closing:
This heartbreaking incident has sparked a broader discussion on the importance of workplace safety and the need for vigilance, especially in environments where remote work is common. Wells Fargo employees, shaken by the events, are hoping for meaningful changes to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated.
