The brother of a young man who ended his life at a Disney Park before the Thanksgiving holiday has spoken out about who his brother was, his loss, and about the comfort his faith has brought him since his brother’s untimely death.
The apparent suicide of a 24-year-old man at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California on Wednesday evening, November 15, has left an empty place in the lives of those who knew him and loved him best and resulted in unspeakable grief and emotional pain for his family and friends.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening, officers with the Anaheim Police Department responded to a call at 1100 West Magic Way about someone having jumped from the Pixar Pals parking structure at Disneyland Resort, according to a spokesperson for the department, Sgt. Jon McClintock. Upon their arrival, officers found a man at the scene. He was deceased following an apparent jump or fall from the parking structure.
According to the police officers, the death of the young man, later identified as 24-year-old Jonah Alexander Edwards by the Orange County Coroner’s Office, is being investigated as a suicide.
News of the tragedy at Disneyland Resort spread quickly, though details were few about the young man who lost his life on that Wednesday evening. Most media outlets only reported briefly on the incident, and many included his name.
But since the time of his passing, very few, if any, outlets have reported about who the young man was, and such an approach to this tragedy threatens to continue an already egregious problem in the world today–and especially in the United States: a lack of open conversations about depression, anxiety, mental wellness, and self-harm.
The first step in opening the door to communication about these topics is exactly that: opening the door.
The young man who lost his life on the 15th of November this year was 24-year-old Jonah Alexander Edwards, and, according to a post on Instagram from Micah Edwards, Jonah’s brother, he was a beautiful and kind person with a vibrant smile.
Several days after Edwards’ passing, his brother, Micah Edwards, took to Instagram to share news of the loss of his brother and to ask that his friends and family keep the Edwards family in their prayers. He shared the grief of his loss and talked about the “privilege” of knowing Jonah.
“We lost our beautiful brother this week,” Micah Edwards wrote in a post on Instagram. “Jonah Alexander took his own life on Wednesday, November 15. He was a pure light to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, and I miss him so much.”
“In the last few days,” Micah Edwards continued, “the love and comfort of Jesus has been overwhelming through the hands of our community. If I could find any sliver of hope, it’s that his suffering is no more.”
“Words can’t begin to describe the pain I’m feeling right now,” Micah said. “Please keep our family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.”
Jonah Alexander Edwards’s passing is the ninth reported suicide at Disneyland Resort, the first of which took place on September 3, 1994, and the third to have taken place in less than one year.
There have now been 13 people take their lives at Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort, leading to questions about whether The Walt Disney Company has a responsibility to take steps to help deter individuals from committing suicide on Disney property, perhaps by hiring more security personnel and the implementing physical barriers in areas where individuals have jumped to their deaths from high structures, thus making those areas less accessible, which, according to University of California at Irvine psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, could mean the difference between an act carried out and ideation upon which no action is taken.
Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Jonah Alexander Edwards during this difficult season of grief, and our prayers continue to be with all of those who loved him and find themselves in the midst of the emotional pain of loss at this time.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, there is help. There is hope at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to civilians and veterans. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line). Those searching for help can also dial 988 to be relayed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
