Marney Schoenfeld: Arizona hairstylist falls to death from Disneyland’s seven-story parking garage in apparent suicide
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: In 13 years, Marney Schoenfeld becomes the fifth person to allegedly die by suicide after falling from the seven-story parking garage at Disneyland. The 46-year-old woman from Scottsdale, Arizona was reportedly found dead at the Los Angeles theme park's Mickey & Friends garage base area on Saturday, February 18.
Investigators have not yet ruled the death as suicide and her reason to be in California remains unclear. According to the authorities, the death of the hairstylist does not seem to be an accident. Schoenfeld leaves behind a daughter and a husband who finds her unexpected death "excruciating," reported the Daily Mail.
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'A talented hairstylist of 23 years'
According to authorities, the Arizona woman's body was discovered at the parking lot on Saturday night at around 6.50 pm and while waiting for the arrival of paramedics, officers who arrived at the scene then attempted to administer life-saving measures. Schoenfeld was immediately taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead after her arrival.
Talking to The Sun, Schoenfeld's husband Randy said, "She was a loving mother to her daughter, Sydney. She was a caring wife to me. She was a talented hairstylist of 23 years and her clients loved her." Investigation of Schoenfeld's death is still ongoing as per Anaheim police Sgt. Jonathan McClintock's statement.
Recent Disneyland parking garage deaths
Since its opening in 2000, five suicides have been reported so far, according to Daily Mail. Previous deaths at the same Disneyland parking lot included a 2010 death of a 61-year-old man and a 23-year-old young man in 2012 and a 40-year-old man died in 2016. A much-talked death was of a 51-year-old Huntington Beach elementary school principal Chris Christensen who jumped to his death in December 2022 from the same garage while he was facing charges of child endangerment and abuse and battery. However, his daughter called the allegations baseless.
Before his death, Christensen shared a letter on Facebook, blaming his wife, Marlena, the mother of his stepchildren as he claimed that "anger got the best of her" following an altercation that took place a month before he died. Marlena reported him to the police making allegedly false abuse claims. Christensen was put behind bars for two nights.
With his bail set at $10,000, he was charged with two offenses relating to domestic violence. His 26-year-old daughter Brittany Christensen claimed that it was Marlena who was the abusive one in the relationship. She said, "The charges were inaccurate. (Marlena) has been very difficult in our family for about the last year, and we haven't had any contact with her."
"I'd just now started regaining contact with him over the last two weeks, and it's been really great. He'd been trying to figure out how to leave her. In my opinion, it seems like this, in his mind, was his way out of his relationship," she added and claimed, "She's been abusive to our entire family for five years. That's why we don't have any contact with her anymore." A vigil reportedly attended by Disney CEO Bob Iger was held for Christensen.