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Personal Snapshot

A 14-year-old youth was discovered deceased just days following being falsely blamed of taking the cremated remains of a deceased infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Heartbreaking Finding

The young boy's mother and father found his remains in his room at his Flintshire home on November 19th, 2021.

False Allegations Start

The investigation heard how his parent received a message on 8 November 2021 via social media, from a individual asking if Kai was her offspring. The message stated: "Tell him appreciation for burgling my flat."

In a testimony presented to the proceedings, the mother said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's remains had been taken in a break-in - a allegation which was false.

Police Inquiry

An investigation report from police later determined the alleged burglary victim had "lied to police" and "it now appears that said items was never taken in the beginning".

News coverage about the alleged stolen ashes generated online responses, and although the teenager was not named in the messages, his mother said individuals "knew it was him".

The "social media content were extremely upsetting", she stated.

Mental Health Effect

She added that Kai had been diagnosed with moderate ADHD, and as part of that condition, other individuals' opinions really mattered to him.

"It would have affected him severely," she said, "especially when this was not true".

Kai was arrested at home, but nothing was discovered. He was transported to a law enforcement facility and later released under investigation.

Police said they would be in contact, the inquest learned, but had not reached out to the relatives by the moment of his death.

Withdrawal and Anxiety

His mother said her son "withdrew into himself" after the arrest and "repeatedly inquired me whether I had received anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "certain periods could feel like much longer".

When she talked to him about the alleged burglary, she said her son informed her he had entered the residence because the woman who resided there had said he could use the toilet anytime he needed, but refuted taking anything.

Online Harassment

In a joint statement between her and her husband, the mother said her child was being harassed online after the allegations.

The proceedings heard that a young adult urged Kai to end his life.

She had no worries on the night before he died, explaining how she had listened to him "chuckling and joking".

She described him as a "compassionate, affectionate" young man, and said her "relatives is completely devastated".

He had been "clearly hiding his concerns", she stated, adding that he could not bear to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".

Educational Response

The hearing heard from school personnel at the local secondary school.

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

"He told me... he'd was innocent," she continued.

After the conversation, the educator said she rang the family's family landline and provided a voicemail saying she had communicated to Kai about the allegations.

The proceedings learned his parents said they never got that message.

Official Finding

Lead investigator informed the hearing he would await documents regarding what enhancements had been made to handling suspects with ADHD, before determining whether he should make a prevention of future fatalities report.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, he said: "Around November 8th, 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old child.

"Probably falsehoods were afterwards exaggerated and exaggerated through the medium of online networks.

"On November 11th, he was questioned by the police and after his interview he was released while inquiries proceeded."

The official determined: "There is no proof that the actions or failures of any agency led to or contributed to his death and although it was the outcome of a personal action it is impossible to determine his purpose."