Coroner: No Foul Play Behind Auditor Found Dead In Cubicle

DOWNEY (CBS) — A county auditor who died in a cubicle at a county building in Downey was working overtime alone and the lights were automatically turned off to save energy, officials said Friday.

Rebecca Wells, 51, who was an auditor for the Internal Services Department, apparently died last Friday evening in the county building at 9150 Imperial Highway, but her body was not found dead 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 today regarding her last day of work on Feb. 11, said Linda Estrada, division manager of the department.

Colleagues say 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, 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.

"The Los Angeles County workforce is very saddened by the unexpected passing of Rebecca Wells," Estrada said. "Ms. Wells was a dedicated, professional and enthusiastic employee.

Rego said the coroner will have to determine the exact cause of her death, "but there was no sign of foul play."

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