Schwab Autopsy Report |link| | Caleb

The autopsy report, performed by the Wyandotte County Coroner’s office, confirmed the cause of death as a .

The official autopsy report concluded that the cause of death was neck decapitation due to blunt force trauma.

The impact was instantaneous and catastrophic. The physical trauma sustained from striking the steel supports at highway speeds resulted in Caleb's immediate decapitation. The two adult passengers remaining in the raft suffered severe facial fractures, concussions, and lacerations, but survived. The raft continued down the remainder of the slide, coming to a stop in the splash pool, where lifeguards and bystanders were met with a horrific scene. caleb schwab autopsy report

The Wyandotte County Coroner’s Office conducted the post-mortem examination. The core forensic findings reveal the immediate mechanism of death:

Actionable concept: “Fail-safe” design—mechanical interlocks, locked hatches that cannot be accessed without tools, signage that is redundant and obvious, and physical barriers—should be standard in public machinery spaces. Retrofitting older buildings should be treated as a public-safety priority. The autopsy report, performed by the Wyandotte County

: Caleb struck the metal support hoops holding the safety netting in place.

According to forensic evidence and eyewitness testimonies integrated into the state's investigation: The physical trauma sustained from striking the steel

The investigation revealed that the Verrückt had a troubled history long before Caleb Schwab’s death. The ride had been delayed from opening in 2014 due to numerous glitches, including early tests where rafts—even those carrying sandbags—flew off the slide. In response, the creators added more netting, Velcro seatbelts, and weight restrictions, but these measures proved to be fatal stopgaps. Eventually, a grand jury indictment described the slide as a "deadly weapon" that had injured at least 13 people—including minors—in the roughly six months it was operational. The indictment alleged that the ride "was never properly or fully designed to prevent rafts from going airborne" and that the boy's death was a "foreseeable and expected outcome".

While journalists can request many public records via FOIA or state equivalents, Kansas law explicitly excludes autopsy reports from routine disclosure unless a court orders otherwise. To date, no court has done so.