Disney World superfan, 31, found dead at Contemporary Resort hotel near monorail

Disney World superfan Summer Equitz, 31, was found dead at the Contemporary Resort hotel in the Florida resort - she had announced she was pregnant less than a year before

View 2 Images

A missing Disney World superfan has been found dead in the resort less than a year after she announced she was pregnant.

Summer Equitz, 31, was found lifeless at the Contemporary Resort hotel, one of more than 25 hotels at the attraction, on Tuesday evening. She had been reported missing hours earlier by a close relative, who urged people on social media to call the police if they saw her at the resort.

In a now-deleted thread on Reddit, they said she left her home in Naperville, Illinois and booked a flight to Orlando, Florida without telling any of her family.

View 2 Images

Police believe she "died by suicide" at Walt Disney World, having suffered "multiple blunt impact injuries". After the incident, rumours began to swirl on social media that police were at the resort after a guest was struck by the monorail.

Images shared online showed a white tent near the observation deck next to the iconic monorail. However, police were quick to shut down the false reports. Orange County Sheriff's Office told Entertainment Weekly that her cause of death had been incorrectly reported on social media, following rumours that a person had died after being hit by the monorail.

A spokesperson said Ms Equitz "was NOT struck by the monorail, so that is erroneous information." The sheriff's office has not yet released any further details, but called it a "suicide case".

Summer's tragic death came after a year of major milestones. Just last year, she and her husband celebrated their honeymoon at the Walt Disney World resort and just weeks later she shared an ultrasound scan announcing her pregnancy.

Summer's career choices also reflected her passion for the global brand, as she worked at Disneyland in California between 2012 and 2015, as both a character performer and entertainment host. She later worked as a nanny and social media consultant.

On social media, Summer shared plenty of photographs of herself spending time at the Disney parks. In one post, she even shared a photo of her meeting the company's CEO Bob Iger in April 2021.

It comes just weeks after a visitor to Disneyland in California died after riding the Haunted Mansion. A woman in her 60s had visited the park on October 6, with Anaheim Fire & Rescue responding to a call to the park at around 6.30pm where they found "an unresponsive woman in her 60s who had just finished riding the Haunted Mansion attraction."

“Disneyland security personnel provided CPR until paramedics arrived,” the statement continued. “She was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased.”

At the time, the officer called the incident an “unfortunate medical episode,” and said “there is no indication of any operation issue with the attraction, which reopened soon after.” A representative for Disneyland confirmed that a guest required medical treatment on October 6 and were later transported to a local hospital.

*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch.