🔗 Share this article

Personal Snapshot

A teenage boy was discovered deceased only a few days following being wrongly accused of taking the ashes of a deceased baby during a burglary, an inquest has learned.

Tragic Discovery

The young boy's parents found his body in his room at his Flintshire home on 19 November 2021.

False Accusations Start

The inquest heard how his parent received a communication on November 8th, 2021 via social media, from a woman inquiring if Kai was her offspring. The communication stated: "Tell him thanks for burgling my flat."

In a testimony presented to the court, the mother said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's remains had been stolen in a burglary - a claim which was false.

Police Inquiry

An investigation report from authorities later determined the supposed break-in 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 online responses, and although Kai was not named in the messages, his parent said individuals "understood it was him".

The "online posts were really upsetting", she said.

Mental Wellbeing Effect

She added that her son had been diagnosed with mild ADHD, and as part of that disorder, other individuals' opinions really were important to him.

"It would have hurt him deeply," she said, "particularly when this was untrue".

The teenager was arrested at home, but nothing was found. He was transported to a police station 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 passing.

Isolation and Worry

His mother said Kai "became isolated" after the detention and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the authorities", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could seem like much longer".

When she talked to him about the supposed burglary, she said her child told her he had gone into the house because the woman who lived there had said he could utilize the toilet whenever he wanted, but denied removing anything.

Digital Harassment

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

The inquest heard that a young adult urged the teenager to end his life.

She had no concerns on the night before he passed away, explaining how she had listened to him "laughing and teasing".

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

He had been "clearly hiding his worries", she said, 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 High School.

On November 8th, she "overheard some students discussing that the student had been detained and that was the initial I heard".

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

After the conversation, the educator said she rang Kai's family telephone and left a voicemail saying she had spoken to the student about the allegations.

The court heard his family said they did not receive that communication.

Formal Conclusion

Senior investigator informed the hearing he would await reports regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with the condition, before determining whether he should make a avoidance of future deaths report.

Providing a narrative finding, he stated: "Around November 8th, 2021, unsupported accusations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old child.

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

"During 11 November, he was interviewed by the authorities and following his interview he was released whilst inquiries continued."

The official concluded: "Exists no proof 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 impossible to discern his purpose."