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Personal Snapshot

A teenage boy was discovered deceased only a few days after being falsely blamed of stealing the cremated remains of a deceased baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Tragic Finding

Kai Lloyd's mother and father found his remains in his room at his Connah's Quay residence on 19 November 2021.

False Allegations Start

The inquest learned how his parent got a communication on 8 November 2021 via online platforms, from a individual asking if her son was her offspring. The communication stated: "Tell him thanks for breaking into my apartment."

In a statement presented to the court, the mother said the individual had been in the media, asserting her infant's remains had been stolen in a burglary - a claim which was false.

Law Enforcement Inquiry

An official inquiry from authorities later determined the supposed burglary complainant had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the items was not stolen in the first place".

News coverage about the alleged taken ashes attracted online responses, and although the teenager was not named in the messages, his parent said people "knew it was him".

The "online posts were extremely upsetting", she stated.

Emotional Health Impact

She explained that Kai had been diagnosed with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that disorder, other individuals' opinions genuinely mattered to him.

"This must have affected him severely," she said, "especially when this was not true".

The teenager was detained at home, but nothing was found. He was transported to a law enforcement facility and later freed pending further inquiry.

Authorities said they would be in touch, the hearing learned, but had not contacted the family by the moment of his death.

Withdrawal and Anxiety

His parent said her son "became isolated" after the arrest and "repeatedly inquired me whether I had received anything from the authorities", because his ADHD meant sometimes "certain periods could seem like much longer".

When she talked to him about the supposed burglary, she said her son informed her he had gone into the house because the resident who lived there had said he could use the bathroom anytime he wanted, but denied removing anything.

Online Harassment

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

The proceedings heard that a young adult encouraged the teenager to kill himself.

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

She portrayed him as a "compassionate, affectionate" boy, and said her "family is totally devastated".

He had been "obviously hiding his concerns", she stated, noting that he could not bear to have anybody "have negative thoughts of him".

School Reaction

The inquest heard from educational staff at the local secondary school.

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

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

After the discussion, the educator said she called Kai's parents' landline and provided a voicemail saying she had spoken to the student about the accusations.

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

Official Conclusion

Lead investigator informed the hearing he would wait for reports regarding what enhancements had been made to handling individuals with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a avoidance of future fatalities report.

Delivering a descriptive conclusion, he said: "Around November 8th, 2021, unsupported allegations were made against the teenager, a young individual.

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

"During November 11th, he was interviewed by the police and following his questioning he was freed while inquiries proceeded."

The official concluded: "Exists no evidence that the acts or omissions of any organization caused or contributed to his passing and although it was the result of a self-inflicted action it is not possible to discern his intent."