Copyright independent
Authorities are investigating a man’s death that took place Thursday at a Disney resort outside of Orlando, Florida, the third death in less than two weeks across company properties clustered near Walt Disney World. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office in Orlando confirmed the death, telling TMZ, “We are still in the process of completing our exams.” Social media users filmed a large group of law enforcement officers in a taped-off courtyard of Disney’s Contemporary Resort near Magic Kingdom Park. Earlier in the week, an older man died at a nearby Disney property. The man was staying with his wife at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. His wife found him unresponsive in bed that morning and called 911, according to a medical examiner’s report obtained by Entertainment Weekly. Paramedics attempted to revive the man using an automated external defibrillator, and he was later taken to the hospital. “A man in his 60s experienced a medical episode and was transported to a local hospital, where unfortunately he died,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told The Independent. There were no signs of foul play, the sheriff’s office added. Earlier this month, another death took place at the Contemporary Resort. On October 14, Illinois resident Summer Equitz was found dead there of what officials called an “apparent suicide,” hours after she had been reported missing. Her body was found with “multiple blunt impact injuries,” according to a medical report seen by Click Orlando. Equitz was a theater actor and Disney superfan, according to a blog post she wrote. She considered Beauty and the Beast her “favorite Disney show of all time” and saw playing the heroine, Belle, as a “dream role.” In July of 2023, Jeffery Vanden Boom of Greendale, Wisconsin, was found dead at the same resort, of what was deemed an accidental fall from a balcony. Across the country, a woman in her 60s died in early October of this year while riding the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. “Anaheim Fire & Rescue responded to the Disneyland Resort for an unresponsive woman in her 60s who had just finished riding the Haunted Mansion attraction,” Matt Sutter of the Anaheim Police Department told The Independent at the time. Security personnel “provided CPR until paramedics arrived,” Sutter added. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
