Key Takeaways:
- A third guest has died at Disney World in 10 days, prompting renewed attention to resort safety.
- The latest incident involved a man found unresponsive at Bay Lake Tower; no cause of death has been confirmed.
- Earlier deaths included a confirmed suicide and a man found unresponsive.
A third person has died at Walt Disney World in just 10 days. On Friday (Oct. 24), TMZ reported that another guest had passed away at one of the resort’s properties.
The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased as Matthew Cohn, who passed away on Thursday (Oct. 23). At the time of reporting, no cause of death had been revealed. "We are still in the process of completing our exams," representatives wrote in a statement to the outlet.
Footage circulating on TikTok showed responders surrounding a taped-off area at the Contemporary Resort’s Bay Lake Tower. "We woke up to a very large law enforcement [presence] outside our balcony this morning,” the user captioned the post. “We were told it was a 'medical emergency.’ Prayers to the family and those involved!”
The first victim, later identified as Summer Equitz, died from multiple blunt impact injuries after jumping near Magic Kingdom last Tuesday (Oct. 14). Her death was ruled a suicide, despite online rumors suggesting she had been struck by a monorail.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told Entertainment Weekly that Equitz “was NOT struck by the monorail, so that is erroneous information.” They added that, due to the nature of the case, no further details would be shared: “We don’t release additional information in cases of suicide.”
The second guest was a 60-year-old man who was found unresponsive in bed at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. According to a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist’s report obtained by People, his wife said she last spoke with him “just after 7 a.m. local time” on Tuesday (Oct. 21).
Police arrived and used an automated external defibrillator before the man was taken to AdventHealth Celebration, where he was pronounced dead at 8:26 a.m. Although no official cause of death has been released, the report stated that he had end-stage liver disease.
Officials determined that the first two incidents were not connected, and it appears the same may hold true for the third.