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Personal Snapshot

A 14-year-old boy was discovered deceased just days after being wrongly accused of stealing the cremated remains of a deceased baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Heartbreaking Discovery

The young boy's mother and father found his body in his room at his Connah's Quay home on 19 November 2021.

Untrue Allegations Begin

The investigation learned how his mother received a message on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a individual asking if Kai was her offspring. The message stated: "Inform him appreciation for burgling my apartment."

In a testimony presented to the proceedings, Lisa Lloyd said the individual had been in the media, claiming her infant's remains had been stolen in a burglary - a claim which was false.

Law Enforcement Investigation

An official inquiry from police later concluded the supposed break-in complainant had "lied to police" and "evidence shows that said items was never taken in the beginning".

News coverage about the supposed taken ashes generated social media responses, and although Kai was not named in the messages, his mother said individuals "knew it was him".

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

Mental Wellbeing Effect

She explained that Kai had been diagnosed with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' views really mattered to him.

"It would have hurt him deeply," she said, "particularly when this was not true".

The teenager was arrested at home, but no evidence was found. He was transported to a police station and later freed pending further inquiry.

Authorities said they would be in contact, the hearing learned, but had failed to contacted the relatives by the moment of his death.

Withdrawal and Worry

His parent said Kai "became isolated" after the arrest and "repeatedly inquired me whether I had heard anything from the authorities", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could seem like much longer".

When she spoke to him about the alleged burglary, she said her son informed her he had gone into the residence because the woman who lived there had said he could utilize the bathroom anytime he wanted, but denied removing anything.

Online Harassment

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

The proceedings heard that a 19-year-old encouraged Kai to kill himself.

She had no worries on the night before he died, describing how she had listened to him "chuckling and teasing".

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

He had been "clearly hiding his worries", she stated, adding that he could not stand to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".

School Reaction

The inquest heard from school personnel at the local High School.

On 8 November, she "overheard some boys talking that Kai had been arrested and that was the first I learned".

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

After the conversation, the educator said she rang Kai's family telephone and provided a message saying she had spoken to the student about the accusations.

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

Formal Finding

Senior coroner informed the hearing he would await documents regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with the condition, before deciding whether he should make a avoidance of subsequent fatalities report.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, he stated: "Around 8 November 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a young individual.

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

"On 11 November, he was questioned by the authorities and after his interview he was released while inquiries proceeded."

The official determined: "There is no evidence that the actions or omissions of any agency caused or contributed to his passing and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted action it is not possible to determine his purpose."