Who was Denise Prudhomme? Wells Fargo worker's death goes unnoticed for 4 days

TEMPE, ARIZONA: Denise Prudhomme, a 60-year-old Wells Fargo employee in Tempe, Arizona, was discovered deceased at her desk on August 20, four days following her last recorded workday. 

The Wells Fargo employee died at her desk on the morning of August 16, but her body was not discovered until four days later, according to Arizona police officials. The lonely death of Denise Prudhomme made employees express concerns regarding their safety.  

Employees express outrage over delayed discovery of Denise Prudhomme’s body

Denise Prudhomme used her ID to scan into the building on August 16 at 7 am, as reported by the police.

“To hear she’s been sitting at the desk like that would make me feel sick,” an employee at Wells Fargo informed K12News, an affiliate of NBC. “And nobody did anything. That’s how she spent her last moments.”

The employee reported that multiple workers had noticed a foul odor upon returning to work after the weekend, attributing it to bad plumbing, as per the outlet.

An employee reported that a colleague discovered Prudhomme deceased at her desk in a cubicle while walking through the building, as K12 News reported. Subsequently, security personnel notified the police.

Employees expressed frustration that the building's security guards should have discovered Prudhomme sooner. “That’s the scary part. That’s the uneasy part,” one employee told K12News. “It’s negligence in some part.”

"I'm just wondering why they didn't formally address employees about it?" another worker questioned. 

How did Denise Prudhomme die?

Officials have not disclosed the cause of Denise Prudhomme's death; however, they indicated that the initial investigation revealed no evidence of foul play. The investigation is still in progress.

The company issued a statement to various news outlets expressing “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague at our Tempe office. 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."

The company stated that it is fully cooperating with the Tempe police department in their investigation, "we are fully cooperating with the Tempe Police Department in their investigation and will direct all further questions to them."

Wells Fargo's past troubles

Wells Fargo is having trouble keeping itself out of headlines. Back in January, Judith Anderson, a customer of Wells Fargo, revealed how she lost $150,000 to scammers impersonating bank fraud investigators shortly before Christmas.

The con artists used caller ID spoofing to mimic Wells Fargo's phone number, duping Anderson into revealing her account information, as she was unaware of such deceitful strategies.

This information was utilized to transfer her savings through multiple transactions. While Wells Fargo initially declined to reimburse the funds, they reversed their decision amid extensive social media backlash.

This event has underscored the necessity for enhanced safeguards against these scams.