A Disney fan tragically died by suicide at Disney World, with a friend posting a heartbreaking final social media post frantically looking for her.
Summer Equitz, a 31-year-old former Disneyland employee and lifelong Disney fan, was found dead at the Contemporary Resort hotel in Orlando, Florida.
Authorities confirmed Equitz died by suicide on Tuesday, October 14, marking the first such incident at the iconic hotel in several years.
Missing Person Alert Posted Hours Before Her Death Was Confirmed
Before the news of her death became public, a Reddit user posted a plea in a missing persons thread, urging others to help find Equitz, per PEOPLE.
The since-deleted post described her as a missing person and stated she had traveled to Disney World without notifying anyone.
“She booked a flight there without telling us, unfortunately,” the user wrote, pleading for anyone who spotted her at the park to contact authorities.
After the news broke, another Reddit user replied: “Terrible ending to this. Sorry for your loss. May she rest in peace…”
Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the Reddit poster, but the timeline and details strongly suggest it was someone close to Equitz.
Equitz's Death Confirmed at the Contemporary Resort
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported that Equitz died from multiple blunt impact injuries and classified the case as a suicide.
While rumors initially swirled online that she had been struck by Disney's monorail, officials were quick to dispel the misinformation.
“The person was NOT struck by the monorail,” a police spokesperson clarified.
Due to the sensitive nature of the incident, authorities have declined to release further details.
"We don’t release additional information in cases of suicide,” the spokesperson added.
The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office did not confirm whether circulating photos of Equitz were accurate, and Disney has not issued a public statement regarding the incident.
A Disney Devotee Remembered
Equitz, who lived in Naperville, Illinois, had previously worked at Disneyland in California as a character performer and entertainment host between 2012 and 2015.
In recent years, she worked as a nanny and social media consultant.
Her love for Disney was evident across her social media, where she often shared photos from her visits to the parks - including one image taken with Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2021, which she captioned: “My life has peaked.”
Her death comes after what was meant to be a joyful chapter in her life.
In 2024, Equitz celebrated her honeymoon at Walt Disney World with her husband, Nico Danilovich, and later revealed her pregnancy in December of the same year.
Despite this seemingly happy chapter, she traveled to Disney in October without notifying loved ones - an action that triggered the desperate online search just hours before her death.
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