Two Missing-Person Calls Reported at Disney World Sept. 23

By Samantha B. · Mom of five · Winter Park, FL

Published September 23, 2026 · Updated November 11, 2026

Two separate missing-person calls were reported to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office from Walt Disney World Resort within a 12-hour span on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, according to reports based on law-enforcement scanner activity. The first came in at 12:40 a.m. from the Transportation & Ticket Center/Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort area; the second at 12:16 p.m. from the Disney Springs area.

What’s happening now: Today at Disney World: hours, rides down and closures.

At the time of the reports on Wednesday, September 23, neither the Orange County Sheriff’s Office nor Disney had commented publicly on either one, and Disney Springs and the Magic Kingdom Resort Area kept operating normally.

The overnight call was reportedly mapped to a location along Seven Seas Drive, between the Transportation & Ticket Center and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Scanner reports from Walt Disney World are frequently logged to a generic address for a given park or hotel rather than the precise spot of the response, so the pin is not a reliable indicator of where the report originated.

The afternoon call was similarly mapped to a roadway near Disney Springs rather than the generic address authorities typically use for that district. That, too, cannot be confirmed as the actual location.

It has not been reported whether either person involved is a guest or a Disney cast member, and no names, ages, or descriptions have been released.

What we know

• 12:40 a.m., Wednesday, September 23 — missing-person call reported in the Transportation & Ticket Center / Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort area.
• 12:16 p.m., Wednesday, September 23 — second missing-person call reported in the Disney Springs area.
• Both reports came to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; both surfaced through scanner monitoring, not an official release.
• Disney Springs and the Magic Kingdom Resort Area operated normally on Wednesday, September 23.

What’s not confirmed

Disney has not confirmed or commented on either report. The Sheriff’s Office has not issued a public statement on either call, and there is no confirmation of whether either person has since been located. Whether the individuals are guests or cast members has not been reported, and neither has any connection between the two calls — nothing reported suggests they are related.

More detail may surface only if charges are filed or if investigators ask the public for help. If either person was found quickly, their identity may never be made public, which is standard privacy practice rather than a sign of anything unusual.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

What it means for your trip

Neither report changed park operations: both areas kept running normally, and no closure, transportation disruption or access restriction was tied to either one.

What it is worth doing, regardless of the news: set a meet-up point with your group the moment you enter each park or Disney Springs, and pick a physical landmark, not “by the shops.” Cell service in crowded areas gets unreliable at closing time, and a named landmark beats a text that doesn’t send.

With kids, write your phone number on something they carry — a wristband, a card in a pocket — and tell them the plan is to find a cast member, identifiable by the name tag, rather than to go looking for you. Cast members are trained for exactly this and every location has a process for it.

If you get separated near Disney Springs or the Transportation & Ticket Center, the bus loop and Seven Seas Drive corridor are large and easy to misjudge on foot. Stay put where you last were together instead of walking toward where you think the other group is heading.

Do the September 23 Missing-Person Reports Affect a Disney World Trip Now?

No. Neither report was tied to any closure, transportation disruption or access restriction. Disney Springs and the Magic Kingdom Resort Area kept operating normally on Wednesday, September 23. Nothing reported since then points to any lasting change at the Transportation & Ticket Center, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort or Disney Springs.

Based on what was reported, neither Disney nor the Orange County Sheriff’s Office made a public statement about either call. Whether either person was located also wasn’t confirmed. That’s common for calls picked up on a scanner. Many of them end quietly, and when someone is found quickly, their identity usually stays private.

What actually matters for your park day

The news doesn’t change your plans. The useful part is the reminder about getting separated, which is far more likely to affect your group than anything in a headline:

• Pick a landmark at the gate. Do it before the first ride, and choose a fixed spot you can see, not “near the shops.”
• Make the cast member plan the kids’ plan. Kids should go to someone with a Disney name tag instead of searching for you. Cast members are trained for this.
• Put your number on your kids. A wristband or a card in a pocket works.
• Stay where you last were together. This matters most around the big bus and parking areas near Disney Springs and the Transportation & Ticket Center. Walking toward where you think the other group went usually makes the gap bigger.
• Plan for weak cell service. It tends to get worse in crowded areas around park closing, so agree on the meet-up spot before you need it.

If you’re keeping an eye on a park day for any reason, check live operating status on the day instead of relying on older news.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Disney World safe to visit after the September 23 missing-person reports?

Nothing reported suggested an ongoing risk. Both areas kept operating normally, with no closures or access restrictions tied to either call.

How should older kids or teens prepare for getting separated at Disney World?

Agree on a fixed landmark and check-in times before you split up, and make sure their phone is charged. If they can’t reach you, tell them to go to a cast member instead of wandering to look for you.

Go deeper — the full guides: Bourbon Steak at the Dolphin: A Planner’s Guide to Booking and Timing · The Secret to Booking The Boathouse at Disney Springs (When Disney Says It’s Full)

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.