An Apple employee was found dead at the company's headquarters early Wednesday, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's office.
CUPERTINO, Calif. — An Apple employee was found dead at the company's headquarters early Wednesday, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's office.
Law enforcement was contacted at 8:35 a.m. PT by Apple. At the scene, police found a dead male in a conference room. Sgt. Andrea Urena, the public information officer for the office of the sheriff, said she could not confirm how the man may have died.
"No one else was involved, there was no danger to the public, there was no foul play," she said, adding that the employee's name and age are being withheld out of consideration for his family and co-workers. "We don't think (the incident) involved criminal activity."
Urena said that it was likely the county coroner's office would be conducting an autopsy as is standard procedure for an unknown cause of death.
Early reports had suggested that a gun was found next to the body. However, Urena said she was not aware of the source of those reports and would not confirm or deny them.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
At Apple's headquarters, a Santa Clara Sheriff's vehicle was parked in front of 1 Infinite Loop. Reporters were asked to stage at a restaurant across a wide street from the tech company's suite of buildings.
There was no evidence of yellow police tape outside the buildings, and the atmosphere seemed normal as employees headed out for lunch. The on-campus Apple Store, which is a frequent stop for tourists, was open.
Earlier, a police scanner recording found online includes a dispatcher saying that a person at the Apple campus was bleeding with a head wound. “Looks like security was escorting the employee down,” the dispatcher said. The dispatcher goes on to say that Apple was advising law enforcement that there was a body in one of its conference rooms.
Although neither authorities nor Apple has shed light on the matter, the news initially prompted reports that suggested a weapon was involved. Like many technology companies, Apple has an elaborate security system that prevents non-employees from accessing the large campus. Apple is in the process of building a new oval-shaped headquarters not far from its longtime Cupertino location.
Visitors must check in at reception desks and acquire badges before being let inside; often a company escort is sent to meet the visitor. Most visitors to the Apple campus never get beyond the company's gadget-packed store. Even when reporters are invited for events, such as the recent unveiling of the new iPhone SE, they are limited to a building or two and are kept under a watchful eye by uniformed staffers for the duration of the event.
While incidents of workplace violence have flared time and again across the country, it is unusual for them to happen at Silicon Valley tech companies.
In 2008, semiconductor engineer Jing Hua Wu killed three of his bosses in retaliation for being fired. In 2010, 18 Chinese workers at Foxconn – which makes and inspected glass for Apple iPhones – attempted suicide largely due to oppressive working conditions. Of those, 14 succeeded in taking their own lives.
Wednesday's incident comes one day after the iconic tech company announced second-quarter results that missed on revenue and earnings due largely to a 16% year-over-year drop in iPhone sales. Apple stock plummeted 8% in after-hours trading Tuesday and was down 6% to $97.86 in midday trading Wednesday.
Contributing: Jessica Guynn and Jon Swartz
