On May 6, 1980, Stone's lifeless body was discovered in her apartment by her landlord. The police were immediately notified, and an investigation was launched to determine the cause of her death. The discovery of Stone's body sent shockwaves through the community, and her case quickly gained attention due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death.
On July 8, 1974, 18-year-old Disneyland hostess Deborah Gail Stone
Investigators believe Stone may have been in a restricted area to assist guests or simply stepped too close to the un-shielded gap during a transition. Because the attraction was brand new, the inherent dangers of the rotating mechanism's "pinch points" were not yet fully understood or mitigated by safety sensors.
The autopsy report revealed that Stone had been shot in the head with a .22 caliber firearm, and the bullet was found lodged in her brain. The report also indicated that Stone had a significant amount of barbiturates in her system, which was likely a contributing factor to her death.
to other safety incidents at Disney parks in the 1970s.
: It is believed Stone either tripped, stepped backward, or attempted to move between stages during a 45-second rotation cycle. Audience Reaction
The theater was an engineering marvel. It featured a central circular stage that was surrounded by six stationary outer stages. The audience sat in an auditorium that rotated, stopping periodically in front of each fixed stage to view a different act. To accommodate this rotation and the movement of the show’s sets, there were narrow, transitional channels separating the fixed stage walls from the rotating theater/stage structures.
If you are a qualified researcher or next of kin, you may request such records through the appropriate coroner’s office (Orange County, CA), but they are not typically made available for public distribution or analysis. I also cannot generate or simulate the contents of a real, sealed, or private autopsy report, as that would be speculative and potentially invasive.
Adding to the confusion are persistent and inaccurate internet rumors. Some forums and question-and-answer sites claim the coroner's report attributed her death to "natural causes" like a dislodged heart tumor. This is a false claim with no basis in the official records. The Orange County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the Coroner Division, has not released any information to support this rumor. Moreover, this specific claim is often confused with the unrelated case of a 43-year-old woman also named Deborah Gail Stone, who died in a 1996 car crash in North Carolina. For the Disneyland tragedy, the public record is clear: it was a preventable industrial accident, not a medical anomaly.
The machinery exerted thousands of pounds of pressure, pinning her into a space only a few inches wide. An automated recording continued to play over the sound system, and the next audience group rotated into place unaware of the emergency. Her body was discovered by another ride operator at when the carousel was being reset. Findings From the Medical Examiner