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Personal Snapshot

One 14-year-old youth was found dead just days following being falsely accused of taking the cremated remains of a deceased baby during a break-in, an inquest has learned.

Heartbreaking Discovery

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

Untrue Accusations Start

The inquest learned how his parent received a communication on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a woman inquiring if Kai was her offspring. The message stated: "Tell him appreciation for breaking into my flat."

In a statement read to the court, the mother said the woman had been in the news, claiming her infant's ashes had been stolen in a burglary - a allegation which was untrue.

Police Inquiry

An official inquiry from authorities later determined the supposed burglary victim had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the property was never taken in the beginning".

News coverage about the supposed stolen ashes attracted social media comments, and although Kai was not named in the messages, his parent said people "knew it was him".

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

Mental Health Impact

She explained that Kai had been diagnosed with mild ADHD, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' views genuinely mattered to him.

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

The teenager was detained at his residence, but no evidence was discovered. He was transported to a police station and later freed under investigation.

Police said they would be in contact, the inquest heard, but had failed to contacted the family by the time of his passing.

Isolation and Worry

His parent said Kai "withdrew into himself" after the arrest and "repeatedly inquired me whether I had received anything from the authorities", because his condition meant sometimes "certain periods could feel like much longer".

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

Online Bullying

In a joint statement between her and her husband, Mrs Lloyd said her son was being harassed online after the accusations.

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

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

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

He had been "clearly hiding his worries", she stated, noting that he could not bear to have anyone "think bad of him".

School Reaction

The inquest received testimony from school personnel at the local High School.

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

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

After the discussion, the staff member said she called the family's parents' telephone and left a voicemail saying she had communicated to the student about the allegations.

The proceedings heard his family said they did not receive that message.

Official Conclusion

Senior coroner told the hearing he would wait for documents regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with the condition, before deciding whether he should make a avoidance of future fatalities report.

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

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

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

The official concluded: "There is no evidence that the acts or failures of any organization led to or added to his death and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is impossible to discern his purpose."