Gender reveal parties have certainly picked up steam in the last few years, with couples announcing their baby's gender in a thousand different ways, from smoke bombs to confetti poppers. They're usually exciting affairs, with guests screaming out in happiness as the news is announced, but a family in Iowa is in mourning this week after an explosion at their gender reveal party left one woman dead.
It happened on Saturday in Knoxville, where police say a gender reveal announcement resulted in an "explosion."
Although gender reveal products are purchased for this purpose all the time, a report by the New York Times described the one used as basically an unintended "homemade pipe bomb." Once it was set off, guests expected to see a burst of pink or blue and cheer. But as the pipe bomb exploded, pieces of shrapnel went flying — one of which struck 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer, a beloved mother, grandmother, and wife, in the head.
Police say the grandmother was killed instantly and pronounced dead at the scene. The piece of metal debris that struck Kreimeyer hit her with such force that it continued soaring more than 400 feet before finally landing in a field, according to CNN.
Family members had been reportedly "experimenting" with various types of homemade devices on Friday and Saturday, according to police.
They were hoping to create the perfect reveal — something they could record for friends and family to share on social media. Their experimenting, however, ultimately went a few steps too far.
In an effort to create a device that could shoot colored powder into the air, gunpowder was reportedly placed in the bottom of a homemade stand attached to a metal base. "On Saturday afternoon five family members and the expectant mother gathered and placed gunpowder in the bottom of a homemade stand that was welded to a metal base plate," a statement from the Marion County Sheriff's Office noted.
“A hole had been drilled in the side for a fuse, a piece of wood was placed on top of the gunpowder and colored powder was placed on top of the board,” the statement continued. “Tape was then wrapped over the top of the metal tubing, inadvertently creating a pipe bomb. Instead of the gunpowder shooting the powder out the top of the stand, the stand exploded, sending metal pieces flying.”
The impact of the terrifying explosion took the family by surprise, "causing instant death" to Kreimeyer, who was standing 45 feet away.
In fact, many other family members also were standing beside her when the homemade bomb went off, but she was the only unlucky victim in its path.
Once the piece of shrapnel hit Kreimeyer, it didn't stop there. It continued soaring through the air for 144 yards before landing in a field — which shows the sheer velocity of the explosion.
"Pam loved to cook, had a great sense of humor, was very generous with her time, loved spending time with her grandchildren, and was the best mom to her sons," her family shared in an online obituary.
A gender reveal "is something that's supposed to be fun and exciting," retired pastor Gary Roozeboom told KCCI-TV. "You have your family there and then, wow, everything changed in an instant."
Authorities urge people to be cautious when using any kind of explosive device and to avoid creating homemade devices.
“This family got together for what they thought was going to be a happy event with no intent for anyone to get hurt,” Sheriff Jason Sandholdt said in the statement. “This is a reminder that any time someone mixes these things there is a high potential for serious injury or death. Please do not take these unnecessary risks.”
Few gender reveal parties have been known to be deadly, but there have been others that went awry in a big way. In October 2018, for example, an Arizona gender reveal party sparked a wildfire that led to the destruction of 45,000 acres, resulting in more than $8 million in damages.
