Mr Schmitt-Matzen, who was impersonating Santa at the time,the Knoxville News Sentinel this week that a terminally ill child died in his arms at a local hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee - a story that struck an emotional chord around the world.
“I cried all the way home … I was crying so hard, I had a tough time seeing good enough to drive,” the News Sentinel quoted him as saying.
He said he had told the child that the child was “Santa’s Number One elf” before “he died right there".
“I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him”.
When the Washington Post Mr Schmitt-Matzen, he could not provide the details to prove his account true.
The Post said he had reasoned this was to protect the privacy of the child’s family and medical aid.
When conducted an investigation, editor Jack McElroy said it could only confirm the background of Mr Schmitt-Matzen, who said he had played Santa for nine years.
“The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzen’s account is inaccurate.
"But more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate,” Mr McElroy said in an article posted on Wednesday afternoon.
“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.”
The story was widely reported by major news outlets around the world, including SBS News.
