Walt Disney World is supposed to be a place where people make memories that last a lifetime, but recently, the resort has been the home to an unfortunate level of tragedy. Walt Disney World resorts have had three deaths in less than two weeks, and two of them were suicides taking place at the same hotel.
Disney World's Contemporary Resort Has Seen Its Second Recent Suicide
Last Thursday, Mathew Cohn died of “multiple traumatic injuries” after reportedly falling from the 12th floor of the Contemporary Hotel. According to Deadline, Cohen’s death has been officially ruled a suicide by the Orange County Coroner. The death follows what is being called the “apparent suicide” of a woman who is believed to have jumped from an interior walkway and landed on or near the Monorial track that moves through the hotel.
The woman who died on October 14 has been identified as Smmer Equitz, a Disney fan who reportedly booked a trip to Orlando from Illinois without telling anybody and left her home sometime prior to her death.
Seeing two suicides so close together, and at the same Disney World hotel, is certainly shocking. The Contemporary Resort was one of the first two Walt Disney World hotels built alongside the construction of Magic Kingdom, the Polynesian Resort being the other. The Contemporary, being one of the original Disney World hotels and still one of the tallest buildings in the area that guests have access to, may be a major reason that it was chosen. The rooms have access to the outside via balconies, and the hotel’s central area is left open for the Monorail, with walkways on each floor. The walkway has railings high enough to prevent accidents, but nothing that would prevent somebody from choosing to climb over.
Disneyland has seen its share of suicides as well. Over the last several years, we have seen at least three incidents of people falling to their deaths from the resort’s Mickey and Friends Parking Structure in cases that are believed to be suicides. It’s widely held that the reason the garage is chosen is the simple but unfortunate fact that the garage is one of the higher points in the city of Anaheim that the public can access.
Disney Parks Have Also Seen Natural Deaths In Recent Weeks
In addition to the pair of suicides, Disney Parks have also dealt with a pair of unfortunate deaths at parks that, while they certainly were not directly related to the parks, still took place there. Last week, a man in his 60s had a medical episode while at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. At the beginning of October, an elderly woman had a medical episode while riding the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. In both cases, the victims were transported to hospitals where they were pronounced dead.
if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can find assistance by visiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 988.
