HOW DID COUNTY AUDITOR WHO DIED AT WORK GO UNDISCOVERED FOR A DAY?
By Arnold Adler
A Los Angeles County employee who died in an office cubicle at a county building in Downey on Feb. 11, but was not found until the next afternoon, was working overtime alone, and the lights were automatically turned off to save energy, a county spokeswoman said Friday.
Rebecca Wells, 51, who was an auditor for the Internal Services Department, apparently died the previous Friday evening in the county building at 9150 Imperial Highway, but her body was not found until Saturday afternoon, Downey police Lt. Phil Rego said earlier.
Autopsy results are pending, but authorities believe she probably died of a stroke or heart attack.
In an attempt to explain how her death could have gone unnoticed for hours, the Internal Services Department released information regarding her last day of work on Feb. 11, said Linda Estrada, division manager of the department.
According to the department, Wells normally worked in East Los Angeles, but on Friday she went to conduct audit work at the county’s facility in Downey. She brought paperwork and a laptop computer, and used a vacant cubicle on the second floor, in a row of unoccupied cubicles. There were no other employees working directly in or around that row of cubicles.
The building has two security posts. The security guards monitor entry into the building, and also monitor security cameras that scan the entrances to the building and the parking lots. Employees need an authorized ID badge to enter the facility.
Wells used her ID badge to enter at 9 a.m., entered again at 10:35 a.m., and again at 1:35 p.m. Between 1:35 p.m. and 4 p.m., she communicated with other employees by e-mail and telephone.
Later, she met with an employee to review paperwork, and the meeting ended about 5 p.m. She mentioned that she planned to work until 6:30 p.m, which is beyond normal business hours. She also called a family member at 6:05 p.m., stating that she planned to work until 6:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the lights in the area were turned off automatically to save energy.
On Saturday, Feb. 12, at about 12:20 p.m., the security officer at the Downey building received a phone call from a member of Wells’ family, who asked if security could check the building. Very few employees work in that area of the building on Saturdays.
The security duty officer found Wells slumped in her chair, without a pulse. The fire department was called, and paramedics pronounced Wells dead. The police department was then notified.
2 Comments
After the age of 50, most people are just marking time anyway. However, if she doesn’t get “employee of the month” this month, there’s no justice in the world.
Jason, I knew you were a sexist pig, but you are also ageist too?