Teenager Discovered Deceased After Untrue Accusations of Taking Cremated Remains

Family Photo
Kai Lloyd's mother and father discovered his body in his bedroom in late 2021

A 14-year-old youth was discovered deceased only a few days following being wrongly blamed of taking the ashes of a deceased baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Tragic Finding

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

Untrue Accusations Start

The investigation heard how his parent received a message on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a woman inquiring if her son was her offspring. The communication stated: "Inform him thanks for burgling my apartment."

In a statement presented to the court, the mother said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's ashes had been stolen in a burglary - a allegation which was untrue.

Law Enforcement Inquiry

An official inquiry from police later determined the alleged break-in complainant had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the items was not taken in the first place".

Media reports about the alleged taken ashes generated social media comments, and although Kai was not identified in the messages, his mother said people "knew it was him".

The "social media content were extremely distressing", she stated.

Emotional Wellbeing Impact

She added that her son had been identified with moderate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that condition, other peoples' opinions really mattered to him.

"It would have affected him severely," she commented, "particularly when this was untrue".

Kai was detained at his residence, but no evidence was found. He was taken to a law enforcement facility and later freed pending further inquiry.

Police said they would be in touch, the hearing heard, but had failed to reached out to the relatives by the time of his death.

Isolation and Worry

His mother 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 "certain periods could feel like much longer".

When she talked to him about the alleged burglary, she said her child informed her he had entered the residence because the resident who resided there had said he could utilize the toilet anytime he needed, but refuted removing anything.

Online Harassment

In a combined testimony between her and her spouse, the mother said her son was being bullied online after the accusations.

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

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

She portrayed him as a "caring, affectionate" boy, and said her "relatives is completely shattered".

He had been "obviously concealing his concerns", she stated, adding that he could not bear to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".

Educational Reaction

The hearing received testimony from educational staff at Connah's Quay secondary school.

On 8 November, she "overheard some students discussing that Kai had been arrested and that was the initial I learned".

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

After the discussion, the staff member said she rang Kai's parents' landline and left a message saying she had spoken to the student about the allegations.

The court heard his family said they never got that communication.

Formal Conclusion

Senior investigator informed the hearing he would wait for documents regarding what enhancements had been made to dealing with suspects with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of future deaths report.

Delivering a descriptive finding, he stated: "Approximately 8 November 2021, unsupported allegations were made against the teenager, a young child.

"Probably untruths were afterwards embellished and exaggerated through the platform of social media.

"On November 11th, he was questioned by the police and following his interview he was released while inquiries proceeded."

The official determined: "Exists no proof that the actions or failures of any organization led to or added to his passing and although it was the result of a personal act it is not possible to determine his intent."

Jennifer Edwards
Jennifer Edwards

Tech enthusiast and broadband expert with over a decade of experience in telecommunications.