A fifth person has died at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, within a single month, casting a sombre shadow over the popular holiday destination. The latest incident occurred on the afternoon of November 8 at the Saratoga Springs Resort.
A Chilling Social Media Update
The theme park's official social media account, used for active calls, first reported a 'person down' at 3.18pm local time. Minutes later, the account provided a grim update, changing the status to 'dead person'. The identity of the deceased holidaymaker has not been released, and authorities have yet to publish a report on the circumstances. Disney has not commented further on the November 8 incident.
A Disturbing Month-Long Trend
This latest fatality is part of a deeply concerning pattern of unrelated deaths at the resort over the past four weeks. The series of tragedies began on October 14 when Summer Equitz, 31, a Disney superfan, died by suicide at the Contemporary Resort Hotel. The medical examiner ruled her cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries.
Just days later, on October 21, a 60-year-old man died after suffering a medical episode at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. He was found unresponsive by his wife, and a report noted he had a history of hypertension and end-stage liver disease.
On October 23, Matthew Cohn, 28, an aspiring NFL referee, also died by suicide at the Contemporary Resort Hotel, the same location as Ms Equitz. Reports indicate he jumped from a balcony.
The fourth death occurred in the early hours of November 2, when a woman in her 40s was found unresponsive at the Pop Century Resort. She was later pronounced dead in hospital, with the Orange County Sheriff's Office stating there were no signs of foul play.
Context and Resort Details
Including these five recent deaths, the total number of fatalities at Disney World since its opening in 1971 now stands at 70. The latest death took place at the Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, a property Disney describes as a 'charming, Victorian-style Resort hotel' inspired by a historic New York horse racing retreat.
The Pop Century Resort, where the woman in her 40s passed away, is a budget hotel themed around 20th-century American pop culture and is connected to other parks by the Skyliner gondola system.
