The tragedy sparked a massive investigation, revealing that the problems with the Verruckt slide were not new. An examination of the ride after Caleb's death uncovered "physical evidence that indicated that other rafts had gone airborne and collided with the overhead hoops and netting before the fatality". The ride’s designers, co-owner Jeff Henry and designer John Schooley, had based their calculations on roller coasters rather than waterslide engineering, and early tests had already shown that rafts carrying sandbags would fly off the track.
Beyond the autopsy testimony, multiple investigations — by the Kansas Department of Labor, the Wyandotte County District Attorney, and private engineering firms hired by Schlitterbahn — uncovered systemic safety failures:
Other riders later came forward reporting that their Velcro safety straps had come undone during the ride. caleb schwab autopsy report
: While riding the "Verrückt" water slide, the raft Caleb was in went airborne at the second hump. Caleb was thrown forward and upward, causing his head to strike a semicircular metal support hoop that held the ride's safety netting in place.
Following the incident, the Wyandotte County Coroner’s Office conducted a formal post-mortem examination. While early public statements by the Kansas City Police Department conservatively categorized the cause of death as a , subsequent official disclosures and investigative journalism confirmed the absolute severity of the trauma: The tragedy sparked a massive investigation, revealing that
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.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the Wyandotte County medical examiner's office conducted a thorough autopsy to determine the official cause of death. On August 8, 2016, the Kansas City Police Department released a statement based on the preliminary findings from this examination, confirming that Caleb Schwab died as a result of a . Beyond the autopsy testimony, multiple investigations — by
The investigation led to the indictment of Tyler Austin Miles and Jeff Henry on charges including second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated child endangerment. Although the charges were later resolved (Miles pleaded no contest to lesser charges in 2021, and Henry entered a diversion agreement), autopsy materials were considered evidence. Kansas limits access to such evidence even after a case concludes.
On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab was visiting Schlitterbahn in Kansas City for "Elected Officials Day" with his family. He boarded the Verrückt—the world’s tallest waterslide at 168 feet—in a three-person raft with two women.
: Later investigative findings and court documents published by media outlets like NPR confirmed that Caleb was instantly decapitated .