Probe Launched After Arby’s Employee Finds Dead Woman Inside Restaurant Freezer

Authorities from the New Iberia Police Department will now be investigating what they believe is a suspicious death, but will not determine the death as having involved foul play.

A woman’s body was found in the freezer of an Arby’s restaurant in New Iberia, Louisiana, on Thursday at around 6:20 p.m. local time.

According to New Iberia Police officers who were called to the scene, an employee of the restaurant discovered the woman, who is believed to be the manager of the Arby’s restaurant, which is located on Admiral Doyle Drive.

“We are aware of the incident that took place at our franchised location in New Iberia, LA. The franchisee is cooperating fully with local authorities as they conduct their investigation,” said the American fast food chain in a statement.

“Due to this being an active investigation, we defer any further comment to the police department.”

New Iberia Police Captain Leland Laseter has stated the incident occurred during regular business hours. It was further explained that while the woman’s death is not being ruled as a homicide, the captain has suggested the situation is “unusual.”

"Nothing is set in stone yet," Laseter said of the investigation.

"A situation like this is unusual, so we’re taking extra precautions during the investigation," the police captain added. "[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."

Criminal authorities are now waiting for the results of a coroner’s autopsy in order to identify the victim, and determine her 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," Laseter said.

A 2015 article shared by MT Cold Storage Solutions (MTCSS)—a company which sells freezers and cold storage— states that employees becoming trapped inside walk-in freezers is not uncommon.

Additionally, according to the company, the most common cause for a walk-in freezer door getting stuck is ice build-up around the door frame, but typically, a built-in heater keeps this build-up in check, and the responsibility of upkeep and maintenance of that heater is the employer’s.