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Personal Snapshot

A 14-year-old boy was discovered deceased only a few days after being wrongly accused of taking the ashes of a dead infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has learned.

Tragic Finding

The young boy's mother and father found his remains in his room at his Connah's Quay residence on 19 November 2021.

Untrue Allegations Start

The investigation heard how his parent got a message on November 8th, 2021 via social media, from a woman asking if Kai was her child. The communication added: "Tell him thanks for burgling my flat."

In a testimony read to the court, Lisa Lloyd said the individual had been in the media, claiming her infant's ashes had been taken in a break-in - a allegation which was untrue.

Police Investigation

An official inquiry from authorities later concluded the supposed break-in victim had "provided false information" and "evidence shows that said items was not stolen in the first place".

Media reports about the alleged stolen ashes attracted online responses, and although Kai was not identified in the messages, his mother said people "knew it was him".

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

Emotional Health Effect

She explained that Kai had been identified with mild ADHD, and as part of that condition, other individuals' views really were important to him.

"This must have affected him severely," she said, "especially when this was untrue".

The teenager was arrested at his residence, but nothing was found. He was taken to a law enforcement facility and later freed under investigation.

Police said they would be in contact, the inquest heard, but had not contacted the relatives by the time of his passing.

Isolation 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 "a minute could feel like much longer".

When she spoke to him about the supposed incident, she said her child informed her he had entered the house because the woman who resided there had said he could use the bathroom whenever he wanted, but refuted taking anything.

Digital Bullying

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

The proceedings learned that a 19-year-old encouraged the teenager to end his life.

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

She portrayed him as a "caring, affectionate" young man, and said her "relatives is completely shattered".

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

School Response

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

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

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

After the discussion, the staff member said she rang Kai's parents' landline and provided a message saying she had communicated to Kai about the accusations.

The proceedings heard his family said they never got that message.

Official Conclusion

Lead investigator told the hearing 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 future deaths report.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, he stated: "Approximately 8 November 2021, unsupported accusations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a young child.

"Probably falsehoods were afterwards exaggerated and exaggerated through the platform of social media.

"On 11 November, he was questioned by the authorities and following his questioning he was released while inquiries continued."

The official determined: "There is no evidence that the actions or omissions of any organization led to or contributed to his passing and although it was the result of a personal act it is impossible to determine his intent."