My Reaction To Fake Story About Boy Dying In Santa’s Arms

Update: KARE 11 is reporting the story to be true as of about 7 a.m. this morning. Below are my original comments when reports were coming in that Eric Schmitt-Matzen likely fabricated the story.

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Remember the story about the Santa Claus who visited a sick boy in Tennessee only to have the boy die in his arms just a few moments later? It was a gut-wrenching story that brought tears to many people's eyes, including mine. Well, guess what--it's likely fake.

According to the website Gizmodo, the original news outlet to report the story was Knoxville News Sentinel. The newspaper didn't have any details about the family, the boy or even at what hospital this all happened--and Santa, whose real name is Eric Schmitt-Matzen isn't commenting about it anymore. The original story has been retracted from the paper's website.

There's also no one who can back up Schmitt-Matzen's claims. The entire story is all based on his own personal accounts. Other websites and companies have done searches to track down an obituary that match the description of a five-year-old boy who died in the area. They haven't been able to find anything at all.

So, it's likely that this story is fake and it boils my blood--I'm beyond angry. Who does this guy think he is, making up a story like this for five minutes of fame? While I'm extremely relieved that the boy from the story was most likely a character of fiction, I know there are many families around the world who are struggling with a sick child or family member where this could likely be their reality. For this man to gain sympathy from others over a lie is disgraceful.

This story really affected me to the point where it was on my mind for multiple days in a row. I told this story to everyone I crossed paths with and I actually felt pretty sad and depressed over it. It really made me lose a little bit of my Christmas cheer.

To the man who is likely fabricating this story for his own fame and recognition, you're what's wrong with the world today. You're the reason we have to be on guard and question everything we read about, hear about and see. It's just pathetic that we can't even trust stories like this anymore. You're a bad person and I really hope that Santa brings you a huge lump of coal for Christmas because you just earned yourself a lifelong spot on the Naughty List.