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Personal Snapshot

One 14-year-old youth was found dead only a few days after being wrongly accused of taking the ashes of a dead baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Tragic Discovery

Kai Lloyd's parents discovered his body in his room at his Flintshire residence on 19 November 2021.

False Allegations Begin

The inquest heard how his mother got a communication on November 8th, 2021 via social media, from a individual asking if Kai was her child. The message added: "Inform him thanks for burgling my apartment."

In a statement presented to the proceedings, Lisa Lloyd said the individual had been in the news, asserting her baby's ashes had been stolen in a break-in - a claim which was untrue.

Police Inquiry

An investigation report from police later determined the supposed burglary complainant had "lied to police" and "it now appears that the property was never taken in the first place".

Media reports about the alleged taken ashes attracted online comments, and although the teenager was not identified in the posts, his mother said people "understood it was him".

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

Emotional Health Impact

She explained that Kai had been identified with moderate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' views really were important to him.

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

The teenager was arrested at his residence, but no evidence was found. He was taken to a police station and later freed under investigation.

Authorities said they would be in contact, the hearing heard, but had failed to reached out to the family by the time of his passing.

Withdrawal and Worry

His parent said Kai "became isolated" after the arrest and "would keep asking me whether I had received anything from the police", because his condition meant sometimes "certain periods could feel like much longer".

When she spoke to him about the alleged burglary, she said her son informed her he had entered the house because the resident who lived there had said he could utilize the toilet anytime he wanted, but denied removing anything.

Digital Harassment

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

The proceedings heard that one 19-year-old urged the teenager to kill himself.

She had no concerns on the evening before he passed away, describing how she had listened to him "chuckling and teasing".

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

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

School Response

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

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

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

After the conversation, the staff member said she rang the family's family telephone and provided a voicemail saying she had communicated to Kai about the accusations.

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

Formal Finding

Lead coroner informed the inquest he would wait for documents regarding what enhancements had been made to dealing with suspects with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of subsequent fatalities report.

Delivering a descriptive conclusion, he said: "Around 8 November 2021, unsubstantiated accusations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a young child.

"Probably untruths were afterwards embellished and exaggerated through the platform of online networks.

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

The coroner concluded: "There is no proof that the actions or omissions of any agency led to or added to his death and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is not possible to discern his intent."