A state judge dismissed all charges against five defendants in connection with injuries to two women and the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab on a waterslide in Kansas City, Kan., in 2016. The 168-ft-tall Verruckt waterslide was one of the world’s tallest. Schwab was thrown from his raft on the ride and decapitated by metal supports of a safety netting canopy over the slide.
The Kansas City district attorney had obtained second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn Waterparks Resorts co-owner Jeff Henry and ride designer John Schooley. Lesser charges had been filed against former Schlitterbahn operations manager Tyler Miles and Schlitterbahn’s affiliated construction company, Henry & Son’s Construction. Also charged was KC Water Park Management, a business entity for the Kansas City park.