Posted on 05/12/2023 2:54:15 PM PDT by billorites
A body found in a walk-in freezer at an Arby's in New Iberia was that of a woman who managed the fast food restaurant and her death appears to be an accident, the lead homicide investigator told News 15.
The gruesome discovery happened Thursday evening during regular business hours at the Arby's located at 1120 E. Admiral Doyle Drive in New Iberia's Lagniappe Village shopping center.
“So it was an employee that discovered the female deceased inside the cooler, (and) the deceased is an employee of the restaurant,” New Iberia Police Capt. Leland Laseter told News 15 in an exclusive interview at the scene.
The victim's identity wasn't immediately released by Laseter, citing the "on-going investigation," but he confirmed the woman was a manager.
While police called the case a "suspicious death," the investigator told News 15 that initial indications are "no foul play" was involved.
“A situation like this is unusual, so we’re taking extra precautions during the investigation," explained Laseter, who heads up the Criminal Investigations Division of the police department. "(We) pretty much have completed our process at the crime scene. After completely processing the crime scene... this does not seem like a homicide, it seems like an accident.”
But he cautioned that those findings were preliminary, adding "nothing is set in stone yet" as the death "remains under investigation."
He indicated multiple employees of the fast food outlet were interviewed as part of the initial probe, and some may be interviewed again.
A coroner's vehicle arrived in the late night hours and took the body to the morgue for an autopsy to confirm the victim's identity and cause of death.
“We're going to re-examine all the evidence tomorrow and they're going to conduct an autopsy to give us the cause and manner of death. So there are a few more steps that we need to take before a (final) determination is made,” the police captain said.
Autopsy results weren't expected to be available for a number of days.
This will certainly have a chilling effect on sales.
Good to see Arby’s is improving the quality of their meat.
Arby’s. We gots da meats.
That's what I'm guessing. Or a heart attack.
Pretty much all modern freezers that a person could conceivably fit inside can be opened from the inside.
I worked as a butcher many years ago. Our walk in freezer had both the plunger mechanism which worked even if the outer latch had a padlock, and a large fire axe mounted on the wall (wooden door on the freezer). Our joke was that the axe was used to work you into a feeling of warmth while you froze to death. We had to put on a heavy jacket just to go in to get something out of the freezer - it was darned cold in there.
Questions from Prof. Morbid;
How many work shifts did she miss before her body was found?
Was she paid for those shifts anyway?
Will Arbys be seeking reimbursement for that overpayment from her Estate?
“… The gruesome discovery happened Thursday evening during regular business hours…”
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There’s absolutely nothing in the story to indicate she had been in the freezer for any extended time as some commenters are apparently assuming,
Yeah, sure. Nobody put a screwdriver to stop the door from being opened from the inside. These things are soundproof, and others working there wouldn’t hear screams. She passed out, screwdriver removed...... “it was an accident”.
I worked in a fast food place when I was 16, I was locked in once as a prank, just as I stated in the above paragraph. Obviously I was let out, but unless the design has changed over the years, our walk in freezer could be locked with a padlock....same holes line up for a screwdriver, zip tie, or a key caribeener.
“...the plunger mechanism which worked even if the outer latch had a padlock...”
Thanks for the info. I was wondering how they did a “lock-out tag-out” type of thing for a freezer.
Your sandwich taste funny?
“When tempers flare a cooling off period is required”. She must have REALLY been pissed!
Big difference between supposed to be and actually is.
Theres an old folks home near here with a broken plunger on the door. Its been broken for a good while. The minors working there are terrified to go in and I dont blame them. Wont let mine work there no matter how much they pay.
Most overused and unnecessary word in the English language. Seems more and more people are using this word to begin their sentences. Drop it.
So I see you are the designated grammar monitor tonight!
When I was just starting doing fire inspections 30 years ago, I was going inside a walk-in cooler in a restaurant and the manager pointed out the inside plunger was missing so that they always put something in the door to keep it from closing behind them. Sure enough, the whole plunger assembly was missing. "Always been like that since I've been here." he said. I made them replace it, but in subsequent years I never forgot to check before I entered one of these.
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