Authorities confirm another death at Disney World marking five in a month
A Disney World theme park in the US has been shaken by multiple deaths in recent weeks, with authorities investigating but offering few details.
It’s supposed to be “the most magical place on Earth”.
But a troubling series of unexpected deaths has cast a shadow over a Disney World resort.
Florida’s Disney World resort has been shaken by a string of deaths, with a fifth fatality confirmed in less than four weeks at the popular theme park.
The latest victim died while staying at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, just steps from Disney Springs, authorities confirmed.
The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office told The New York Post on Wednesday that while the death occurred on the property on November 8, they “declined jurisdiction,” and the body was released to the individual’s personal physician.
The Victorian-style Saratoga Springs Resort, nestled among manicured golf-course greens and dotted with sparkling pools and a full-service spa, offers studio and multi-bedroom villas with living and dining areas, in-room laundry, and full kitchens. Some suites reportedly cost as much as $2,300 ($A3,500) per night.
No other details of the guest’s death have been revealed.
It’s the latest in a a disturbing series of fatalities at the US theme park.
The first death to raise eyebrows occurred on October 14 after 31-year-old Summer Equitz was found dead at the Contemporary Resort in an apparent suicide, hours after she went missing from her home in Illinois.
Then, a week later, another guest — identified as a man in his 60s — died from a medical episode due to a pre-existing condition at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on October 21, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred in the 1500 loop, at a site known as Cottontail Curl, one of 21 trails and campsites spread across the resort.
Authorities then confirmed a third death at the Contemporary Resort just two days later where Matthew Alec Cohn, a 28-year-old aspiring football referee from Los Angeles, reportedly died by suicide.
Then, on November 2, a woman in her 40s was found unresponsive at Pop Century Resort, a budget-friendly hotel near Epcot and Hollywood Studios connected to the Skyliner. She was later pronounced dead.
Since opening in 1971, 68 people have died at Walt Disney World.
While it was not clear, one Disney historian suggested there was a trend where people struggling with mental health issues go to the theme park for a final moment of happiness.
“There’s this weird phenomenon where people who are severely depressed but want to have that one last good happy family memory will go to Walt Disney World,” Jim Hill of the “Disney Wish” podcast told the New York Post in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Disney Dining blog speculated: “A combination of real-time emergency call tracking, hyper-engaged fan communities, and heightened online visibility has brought increased attention to incidents that, in previous years, might not have been widely discussed”.
Disney World has more than 58 million visitors a year to its parks and 36 resorts.
Commenting after the death of a woman in her 60s after she suffered a medical incident while riding on the Haunted Manor attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, theme park expert Dennis Spiegel told the L.A. Times at the time that the ride’s safety was not an issue.
“Transparency comes at the highest level for Disney,” he said.
“It’s much safer to ride Space Mountain or any ride at Disneyland for a month straight than to drive one day on the 405 Freeway.”
Disney World has not commented on the latest deaths.
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Originally published as Authorities confirm another death at Disney World marking five in a month
