A 65-year-old man was found dead over the weekend on Disneyland property in Anaheim, California, casting a grim scene near an entrance to the resort famously billed as the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
Anaheim police responded shortly before 1:45 p.m. Sunday to a report of an unconscious man near the resort’s south entrance off Katella Avenue, Sgt. Eric Anderson told Fox News Digital on Monday.
Officers found the man unconscious on a sidewalk between the resort hotels and a park entrance, where he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found no signs of trauma or foul play, and his death appeared to be from natural causes, Anderson said.
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The sidewalk where the man was found is on Disneyland property rather than public land. The south entrance is separate from Disneyland’s main entrance and was established in an area near resort hotels to provide guests staying nearby easier access to the park.
The man’s identity has not been released, though Anderson said any identification would likely come from the coroner’s office.
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Anderson said the Anaheim Police Department’s homeless liaison officers regularly make contact with people experiencing homelessness in the area, checking on their well-being, offering assistance and letting them know when they may be violating the law.
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The now deceased 65-year-old had previously come into contact with those officers and was known to them before Sunday’s incident.
Those previous interactions were part of the department’s outreach to the homeless population and were not related to arrests or other criminal activity, Anderson explained.
After the man was found, officers remained at the scene while they waited for personnel from the coroner’s office to arrive and remove his body. The coroner’s office will also be responsible for determining the cause of death.
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A beer can was found near the man, though investigators did not know whether it had any connection to his condition or death, Anderson said.
Photos and video from the scene showed police tape stretched across the sidewalk beneath a large Disneyland Resort entrance sign, while a black privacy screen shielded the area from view as authorities investigated.
Disneyland Resort Media Relations confirmed Anaheim police responded but did not address additional questions about the incident, instead referring Fox News Digital to the police department.
