A Sydney Ernst & Young employee found dead at the company’s George St office is understood to be a foreign national whose husband was flying back to Sydney at the time.
The woman had apparently returned to her workplace twice after leaving work drinks at the nearby Ivy bar and nightclub, with fresh details further revealing the tragic timeline.
It has been reported the woman returned to the office briefly only to leave and return several hours later.
Ernst & Young confirmed to 7NEWS.com.au: “Initial investigations indicate she left (the office about) 7.30pm and returned after midnight.”
The 33-year-old woman’s body was found by police at the global accounting giant’s head office just after 12.20am on Saturday.
It is believed she was in the building for just 20 minutes before her death.
Police have determined the time her security card was used to access a secure patio on the building’s upper level, The Australian reports, adding the cause of death was likely the result of self-harm.
Police confirmed to 7NEWS.com.au that officers responded to a concern for welfare report and that the circumstances were not being treated as suspicious. However, police are investigating and preparing a report for the coroner.
The woman’s husband was in the air flying from Singapore to Sydney at the time of his wife’s death and was informed of the news on his arrival, The Australian reports.
It also reports the woman had been with the company for just six months.
Ernst & Young told 7NEWS.com.au it has contacted the husband to offer support, and the firm would be launching “a wide-ranging internal review encompassing health and safety, security, social event” in response to “the tragic events of the weekend”.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened,” Ernst & Young’s CEO David Larocca said.
“Our chief mental health officer will be part of an ongoing review and has been instrumental over the weekend in providing ongoing advice and guidance.”
Reports from The Australian say the woman had left the nearby Ivy sometime after 7pm, about two hours after the staff-organised event began.
It also reports police are investigating the role of alcohol in her death, despite noting that security footage did not show her exhibiting obvious signs of intoxication.
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Source: 7News
