I did confirm the flatulence, as I said, though that wasn't really actionable. His desk wasn't all that neat, but
I didn't find it completely out of line. One of the reasons they asked me was that I was usually about the first person in, since I dropped my daughter off at early-morning seminary. I let them know that I never saw him in the morning. If he was sleeping there, he woke up and headed out before I got there.
Honestly, I didn't go all Joe Friday on the investigation. I thought it was kind of humorous, but, like you, also thought it was kind of sad. I had interviewed the guy a couple of years before, and didn't hire him, but had liked him. I didn't want to have any responsibility for getting him fired.
When I left the company a year or two later, he was still around.