Teenager Discovered Deceased After Untrue Allegations of Taking Cremated Remains

Family Photo
Kai Lloyd's parents discovered his body in his room in November 2021

One teenage youth was discovered deceased just days following being wrongly accused of taking the ashes of a dead infant during a break-in, an inquest has heard.

Tragic Discovery

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

False Accusations Start

The investigation heard how his mother received a communication on November 8th, 2021 via social media, from a woman inquiring if her son was her child. The message added: "Tell him appreciation for breaking into my flat."

In a testimony read to the proceedings, the mother said the individual had been in the news, claiming her infant's ashes had been stolen in a break-in - a claim which was untrue.

Law Enforcement Investigation

An investigation report from authorities later determined the supposed burglary complainant had "lied to police" and "it now appears that the property was not stolen in the first place".

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

The "online posts were extremely upsetting", she said.

Mental Wellbeing Impact

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

"This must have hurt him deeply," she said, "particularly when this was untrue".

Kai was arrested at his residence, but nothing was found. He was transported to a law enforcement facility and later released pending further inquiry.

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

Withdrawal and Anxiety

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

When she spoke to him about the supposed incident, she said her son informed her he had gone into the house because the resident who resided there had said he could utilize the bathroom whenever he needed, but denied removing anything.

Online Bullying

In a combined testimony between her and her spouse, Mrs Lloyd said her child was being bullied digitally after the accusations.

The inquest 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 listened to him "laughing and teasing".

She portrayed him as a "caring, loving" boy, and said her "family is completely devastated".

He had been "obviously concealing his worries", she said, adding that he could not bear to have anybody "have negative thoughts of him".

Educational Reaction

The hearing heard from educational personnel at Connah's Quay High School.

On November 8th, she "overheard 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 conversation, the staff member said she rang the family's parents' landline and left a message saying she had communicated to Kai about the allegations.

The proceedings learned his parents said they never got that communication.

Official Finding

Senior coroner informed the inquest he would await documents regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with ADHD, before determining whether he should make a prevention of subsequent deaths report.

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

"Probably falsehoods were subsequently exaggerated and amplified through the platform of social media.

"On November 11th, he was interviewed by the authorities and after his questioning he was released while investigations continued."

The coroner determined: "There is no evidence that the actions or failures of any organization led to or added to his passing and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is impossible to discern his intent."

Jacqueline Jimenez
Jacqueline Jimenez

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