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Personal Snapshot

One 14-year-old youth was discovered deceased just days following being falsely accused of taking the ashes of a dead baby during a burglary, an inquest has heard.

Heartbreaking Discovery

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

Untrue Accusations Begin

The investigation learned how his parent received a communication on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a individual asking if Kai was her child. The communication added: "Tell him appreciation for breaking into my apartment."

In a testimony presented to the court, Lisa Lloyd said the woman had been in the media, claiming her baby's remains had been stolen in a break-in - a claim which was false.

Police Investigation

An investigation report from police later concluded the alleged break-in victim had "lied to police" and "it now appears that said items was not stolen in the beginning".

News coverage about the alleged stolen remains attracted online comments, and although Kai was not identified in the posts, his parent said people "knew it was him".

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

Emotional Wellbeing Effect

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

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

The teenager was arrested at home, but nothing was found. He was transported to a police station and later released pending further inquiry.

Police said they would be in contact, the inquest learned, but had not contacted the family by the moment of his passing.

Withdrawal and Anxiety

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

When she talked to him about the alleged burglary, she said her child told her he had entered the residence because the resident who lived there had said he could use the bathroom whenever he needed, but denied taking anything.

Online Harassment

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

The proceedings learned that one 19-year-old urged Kai to kill himself.

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

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

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

School Response

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

On 8 November, she "heard some students talking that the student had been detained and that was the first I heard".

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

After the discussion, the educator said she called the family's family telephone and provided a voicemail saying she had communicated to the student about the accusations.

The court heard his parents said they did not receive that message.

Official Conclusion

Senior coroner informed the inquest he would wait for reports regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with suspects with the condition, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of future deaths report.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, he said: "Approximately November 8th, 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old child.

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

"During November 11th, he was interviewed by the authorities and following his questioning he was released whilst investigations proceeded."

The official determined: "There is no evidence that the actions or failures of any agency caused or contributed to his death and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted action it is impossible to discern his purpose."