That heartbreaking Santa story was probably fake

Did you see that story of a Santa who said a terminally ill child had died in his arms? Last Sunday, the News Sentinel published the story of a Campbell County Santa Claus actor, Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who said he got a call from a family who really needed Santa to come and see the little boy who wasn't going to make it to Christmas.

Now, the newspaper have said they cannot verify the story is true after many large news organisations picked up the story based on the paper's account.

That account was based on an interview with Schmitt-Matzen, who said he was called to the hospital bed of a 5-year-old boy who wanted to see Santa, and that the boy died in his arms. However, he insisted that he had to protect the privacy of other people who were involved, so would not give the newspaper their names or identify the hospital.

The newspaper says has been unable to confirm the account, and therefore can no longer stand by the story:

"The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzen's account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate."