The heart-breaking viral story about a terminally ill boy dying in the arms of Santa may not be true

It was a story many wanted to believe: A terminally ill child gets his last wish to see Santa and dies in his arms. But it could all be a sick hoax.

Earlier this month, a tear-jerking tale from Knoxville, Tennessee, made headlines across the world.

It told how an unnamed five-year-old had tragically passed away in hospital after being granted his final wish, which was to meet Santa.

The touching story, originally published by the Knoxville News Sentinel, reported that professional Santa, Eric Schmitt-Matzen, 60, had received a call from a desperate nurse.

However, in the last 24 hours, the Knoxville News Sentinel has withdrawn its original story, reporting that the facts can’t be verified.

Editor Jack McElroy explained in a letter, which has been published on the site, that an investigation to find additional information and perform basic fact checking had “proven unsuccessful”.

He commented: “Although facts about his background have checked out, his story of bringing a gift to a dying child remains unverified.

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

“Therefore, because the story does not meet the newspaper’s standards of verification, we are no longer standing by the veracity of Schmitt-Matzen’s account.”

Meanwhile, CNN reportedly also contacted major hospitals in the Knoxville area and none could confirm Eric’s account.

They added: “The coroner’s office was unable to provide information without a name.

“A search of obituaries in Tennessee newspapers from the beginning of 2016 for 5-year-old boys did not yield conclusive proof confirming or refuting the account.”