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Personal Snapshot

A 14-year-old youth was found dead only a few days after being falsely blamed of stealing the ashes of a dead baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Tragic Finding

The young boy's mother and father discovered his body in his bedroom at his Connah's Quay residence on 19 November 2021.

Untrue Accusations Begin

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

In a statement presented to the proceedings, Lisa Lloyd said the woman had been in the news, claiming her infant's ashes had been taken in a burglary - a claim which was false.

Police Investigation

An official inquiry from police later determined the supposed break-in victim had "provided false information" and "it now appears that said items was never stolen in the first place".

Media reports about the supposed stolen ashes generated social media comments, and although Kai was not named in the messages, his parent said individuals "knew it was him".

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

Mental Wellbeing Impact

She added that her son had been diagnosed with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that condition, other peoples' views genuinely were important to him.

"It would have affected him severely," she said, "particularly when this was not true".

Kai was arrested at home, but no evidence was discovered. He was taken to a law enforcement facility and later released 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 Anxiety

His parent said Kai "withdrew into himself" after the detention and "would keep asking me whether I had received anything from the authorities", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could seem like days".

When she spoke to him about the alleged incident, she said her son told her he had gone into the house because the resident who resided there had said he could use the toilet anytime he needed, but refuted removing anything.

Online Harassment

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

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

She had no concerns on the evening before he died, explaining how she had heard him "laughing and teasing".

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

He had been "obviously concealing his worries", she said, adding that he could not stand to have anybody "think bad of him".

School Reaction

The hearing heard from educational personnel at the local High School.

On 8 November, she "overheard 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 conversation, the staff member said she rang Kai's family telephone and left a voicemail saying she had spoken to the student about the accusations.

The court learned his family said they did not got that message.

Formal Conclusion

Lead investigator informed the inquest he would wait for documents regarding what enhancements had been made to dealing with suspects with ADHD, before determining whether he should make a avoidance of future deaths report.

Delivering a descriptive finding, he stated: "Approximately 8 November 2021, unsupported allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old individual.

"Probably falsehoods were subsequently embellished and exaggerated through the platform of online networks.

"On November 11th, he was interviewed by the police and after his questioning he was freed whilst inquiries continued."

The official determined: "There is no proof that the acts or omissions of any agency led to or added to his death and although it was the result of a personal action it is impossible to discern his intent."