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Personal Snapshot

One 14-year-old youth was found dead only a few days following being wrongly accused of stealing the cremated remains of a deceased infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has learned.

Heartbreaking Discovery

Kai Lloyd's parents found his body in his bedroom at his Flintshire home on 19 November 2021.

False Allegations Start

The inquest learned how his parent got a message on 8 November 2021 via online platforms, from a woman asking if her son was her child. The message added: "Tell him thanks for burgling my flat."

In a testimony presented to the proceedings, Lisa Lloyd said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's remains had been taken in a break-in - a claim which was untrue.

Police Inquiry

An investigation report from police later determined the supposed break-in complainant had "provided false information" and "evidence shows that said property was never taken in the beginning".

Media reports about the alleged taken ashes attracted online comments, and although the teenager was not named in the posts, his parent said individuals "knew it was him".

The "online posts were extremely distressing", she said.

Mental Wellbeing Impact

She added that her son had been diagnosed with moderate ADHD, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' opinions genuinely mattered to him.

"This must have hurt him deeply," she said, "particularly when this was untrue".

Kai was detained at his residence, but no evidence was discovered. He was taken to a law enforcement facility and later freed pending further inquiry.

Police said they would be in contact, the hearing learned, but had not reached out to the family by the time of his death.

Withdrawal and Anxiety

His mother said her son "withdrew into himself" after the detention and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the authorities", because his ADHD meant sometimes "certain periods could feel like much longer".

When she talked to him about the supposed burglary, she said her son told her he had entered the residence because the woman who lived there had said he could use the bathroom whenever he needed, but denied removing anything.

Online Harassment

In a combined testimony between her and her spouse, Mrs Lloyd said her child was being harassed online after the allegations.

The proceedings heard that one 19-year-old urged Kai to end his life.

She had no worries on the night before he passed away, describing how she had listened to him "laughing and joking".

She described him as a "caring, affectionate" boy, and said her "family is totally shattered".

He had been "clearly concealing his concerns", she said, noting that he could not stand to have anyone "think bad of him".

School Reaction

The hearing heard from educational personnel at Connah's Quay secondary school.

On November 8th, she "heard some boys discussing that Kai had been arrested and that was the first I heard".

"He told me... he'd done nothing wrong," she continued.

After the conversation, the staff member said she rang the family's family landline and left a message saying she had spoken to Kai about the accusations.

The court learned his parents said they never receive that communication.

Official Finding

Senior investigator informed the inquest he would wait for reports regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with the condition, before determining whether he should make a prevention of subsequent deaths report.

Providing a narrative conclusion, he stated: "Approximately 8 November 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against the teenager, a young individual.

"Likely untruths were subsequently exaggerated and exaggerated through the platform of online networks.

"On 11 November, he was interviewed by the police and following his questioning he was released whilst investigations proceeded."

The official concluded: "Exists no evidence that the actions or failures of any organization caused or added to his passing and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is not possible to determine his intent."