🔗 Share this article

Personal Snapshot

A teenage youth was discovered deceased just days after being wrongly blamed of taking the cremated remains of a deceased infant during a break-in, a coroner's inquiry has learned.

Heartbreaking Discovery

The young boy's mother and father found his remains in his bedroom at his Flintshire residence on November 19th, 2021.

False Allegations Begin

The inquest heard how his parent received a message on 8 November 2021 via social media, from a individual inquiring if Kai was her offspring. The message added: "Inform him thanks for breaking into my apartment."

In a testimony read to the proceedings, the mother said the woman had been in the news, asserting her baby's ashes had been stolen in a break-in - a claim which was false.

Law Enforcement Inquiry

An official inquiry from police later concluded the supposed burglary victim had "provided false information" and "it now appears that said property was not stolen in the first place".

Media reports about the supposed stolen remains attracted social media comments, and although the teenager was not named in the messages, his parent said individuals "understood it was him".

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

Mental Health Impact

She explained that her son had been identified with moderate ADHD, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' opinions genuinely were important to him.

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

The teenager was arrested at home, but nothing was discovered. He was transported to a law enforcement facility and later freed pending further inquiry.

Police said they would be in contact, the hearing learned, but had not reached out to the relatives by the time of his death.

Withdrawal and Worry

His mother said Kai "became isolated" after the arrest and "repeatedly inquired me whether I had heard anything from the authorities", because his condition meant sometimes "certain periods could feel like days".

When she talked to him about the alleged incident, she said her son informed her he had entered the residence because the resident who resided there had said he could utilize the toilet whenever he needed, but refuted taking anything.

Digital Harassment

In a joint statement between her and her husband, Mrs Lloyd said her child was being bullied online after the allegations.

The proceedings heard that a 19-year-old urged the teenager to end his life.

She had no worries on the night before he died, describing how she had heard him "laughing and teasing".

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

He had been "clearly concealing his concerns", she stated, adding that he could not stand to have anybody "think bad of him".

School Response

The inquest heard from school staff at Connah's Quay secondary school.

On November 8th, she "overheard some students discussing that Kai had been detained 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 family telephone and left a message saying she had spoken to Kai about the accusations.

The court heard his parents said they never receive that message.

Formal Finding

Lead coroner informed the inquest he would await reports regarding what enhancements had been made to handling suspects with ADHD, before determining whether he should make a prevention of subsequent deaths report.

Providing a descriptive conclusion, he stated: "Around 8 November 2021, unsubstantiated accusations were made against the teenager, a young child.

"Likely untruths were subsequently embellished and exaggerated through the platform of online networks.

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

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 result of a self-inflicted action it is not possible to discern his purpose."