Rebecca Wells Dies at Cubicle, Found a Day Later

A California woman died at her office cubicle but wasn't found until the following day, authorities said.

Rebecca Wells, 51, was found dead at her desk Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles County Department of Internal Services. Her co-workers say the county worker was last seen alive Friday at 5 p.m. and didn't appear to be ill.

"Rebecca was fine, in good spirits, didn't look sick or anything," Linda Estrada, one of Wells' managers, told AOL News today. "She was sending e-mails throughout the day."

The next day, however, a security guard found Wells dead, slumped over her desk at the office.

Estrada said Wells wasn't in her usual office that day and was working amid a row of empty cubicles in a large government building, possibly explaining why it took so long to find her body.

Estrada said Wells, a compliance auditor, had worked for the county for 11 years and had recently become a grandmother.

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"We're very sad," Estrada said. "She was a fantastic person, and everybody liked working with her. She was an excellent mom, and she had just became a grandmother. She was excited about that."

The coroner's report has not yet been released, and it remains unclear exactly how Wells died or how long she was at her desk before she was found. Police said they were still waiting for the coroner's report, but said there were no signs of foul play.

"All preliminary indications seem that it was natural," Sgt. Alex Irizabal of the Downey Police Department told AOL News today. Los Angeles County Coroner chief investigator Craig Harvey said in a phone interview today that a final report on Wells' death wasn't expected for at least 6 weeks.