Christmas Hoax? 5-Year-Old Who Died In Santa’s Arms Isn’t Real?

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The story of a young boy who died in the arms of Santa Claus actor Eric Schmitt-Matzen might have been a hoax. After it went viral and has moved millions of netizens in tears, it looks like no one was able to verify that the boy existed.

“The information came to the newspaper indirectly through a known source, and Schmitt-Matzen was then contacted and asked about the incident,” the Knox News, which supposedly had the scoop, reports.

It turned out that during the interview of Schmitt-Matzen, the actor expressed that the identity of the child and his family, as well as the nurse who took care of him, should be kept private. Further interviews with the Santa Claus actor still resulted in no confirmation of the child’s identity, nor his family. Thus, the publication was not able to verify if the story is valid.

“I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I’ve seen my share of [stuff],” Schmitt-Matzen said, per USA Today. “But I ran by the nurses’ station bawling my head off. I know nurses and doctors see things like that every day, but I don’t know how they can take it.”

Watch the full video of his story about the boy below.