Troubling New Details Emerge About 10-Year-Old Who Was Decapitated On World’s Tallest Water Slide

Caleb Thomas Schwab, 10, was killed on August 7 while riding a waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.

The following day, the official cause of death was ruled to be a neck injury, reports Fox News. According to the Daily Mail, witnesses reported that the boy was ‘decapitated’ on the ride. The same report notes that Caleb’s brother saw the entire thing unfold. 

Caleb was the son of Republican state Representative Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele.

The 168-foot-tall waterslide, which is certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest, is named “Verruckt” — the German word for “insane.” Riders sit in multi-person rafts, which navigate an initial 17-story drop, followed by a second 50-foot drop.

What exactly happened is not yet known, with Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio declaring that “we honestly don’t know what’s happened.”

According to a statement issued by Kansas City police, Caleb was sharing a raft with two other riders at the time, both of whom suffered minor facial injuries and were treated at an area hospital. Emergency responders found him dead in a pool at the end of the ride, according to the police statement. One eyewitness, Leslie Castaneda, said she saw blood and Caleb’s bathing suit in the pool at the end of the ride, reports the The Kansas City Star.

Schlitterbahn issued a statement declaring that it was “deeply and intensely saddened for the Schwab family and all who were impacted by the tragic accident.” The statement also noted that the park is scheduled to be reopened on August 10, but Verruckt would be closed indefinitely.

The results of an autopsy performed on August 8 has not been released.

Caleb’s parents released a statement, saying: “As we try to mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in our Savior Jesus, and they are forever together now.”

Kansas governor Sam Brownback added his condolences via Twitter, noting that “Our prayers are with the family of Rep. Scott Schwab today with the tragic and sudden loss of their young son.”

Sources: Fox News, The Washington Post, Daily Mail/ Photo Credit: The Washington Post