County Officials Speak About Employee's Death at Her Desk

Officials from Los Angeles County have finally issued a statement about the sudden death of Internal Services Department Rebecca Wells, who was discovered dead in a cubicle in Downey on Saturday morning.Wells is described by her former employers as "a dedicated, professional and enthusiastic employee." Apparently the 51-year-old compliance auditor normally worked out of an office in East Los Angeles, however on Friday, February 11th, she was working on an audit in Downey, and was using a vacant cubicle on the second floor, in a row of unoccupied cubicles. She entered the building using her ID badge first at 9:00 a.m., then two other times through midday. Wells was in touch with co-workers by phone and email for the rest of the day, attended a meeting that ended at 5, then told the employee with whom she'd met that she intended to stick around until 6:30 to get more work done.

It's likely that employee was the last person to see Wells alive. Lights are turned off automatically at 7 p.m. in the facility. By midday Saturday, a family member had contacted the Downey building's security to express concern Wells was missing. Within less than 20 minutes, Wells was located, "slumped in her chair" and without a pulse. The Fire Department arrived, and pronounced Wells dead at the scene.

County officials say an autopsy on Wells is pending.