It’s been a deadly October at Disney parks, according to multiple reports. These deaths include 60-year-old man who died in bed, a reported case of death by suicide and woman who died after riding the Haunted Mansion ride. The latter two occurred in the same 7-day span.
That Haunted Mansion incident was the earliest of the three deaths. The Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 8 that a woman in her 60s had suffered a medical episode on the ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. It said she was pronounced dead at an Orange County hospital after the incident. Anaheim police confirmed that fire and rescue units responded at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6, said the LA Times’ report.
Disneyland influencer Matt Desmond said that the woman suffered a heart attack on the ride that first opened in 1969 and now features characters from Tim Burton’s 1993 film “A Nightmare Before Christmas”, and that she did not respond when it was time to get off. The LA Times said Disneyland security performed CPR on the woman until first responders arrived, citing according to Anaheim police Sgt. Matt Sutter.
People magazine reported that Sutter said a cause of death will not be revealed in this case since the Orange County Sheriff’s Coroner’s office did not take custody of the body following the woman’s death and there will not be an autopsy.
“The representative said this likely indicates a doctor signed off on a death certificate and the family made their own arrangements to gain custody of the body,” said People. It added that authorities said there were no indications of issues with the ride and that it reopened soon after the incident.
People magazine also reported on the death of 31-year-old Summer Anne Equitz of Naperville, Ill,, also known by her married name Summer Anne Danilovich, was found dead at Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort near the Magic Kingdom park on Oct. 14. It confirmed that the death was ruled a suicide by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, though an investigation into her death was ongoing as of this Wednesday.
This death was also covered by the New York Post and it described Equitz as a “Disney superfan” who had arrived at the park without informing her family. Citing the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Post noted that early reports incorrectly stated that she was struck by the monorail. Per the Post’s report, Equitz died of “multiple blunt impact injuries,” and revealed she was pregnant with her first child around 10 months ago.
Another death – a 60-year-old man found unresponsive his bed – was reported this Tuesday at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground in Florida, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to People. His wife has spoken to him for the last time at around 7 a.m. that morning and came back to find him unresponsive.
“No foul play is suspected,” said the outlet. Police were called to the scene at Cottontail Curl, one of 21 sites on the campsite trail, and used an automated external defibrillator at the scene before he was transported to AdventHealth Celebration and was pronounced dead at 8:26 a.m.
People said that a cause of death was not included in a report on the death but that it stated the man had a history of hypertension and end stage liver disease. No foul play or drug use was observed at the scene, and there were not any signs of injury or trauma.
People “reached out to Walt Disney World for comment on the situation, but they did not immediately respond,” the outlet said Wednesday.