Adolescent Found Dead After False Accusations of Stealing Ashes
One teenage boy was discovered deceased just days following being falsely accused of taking the cremated remains of a dead baby during a break-in, a coroner's inquiry has heard.
Tragic Discovery
Kai Lloyd's parents discovered his remains in his room at his Flintshire residence on November 19th, 2021.
Untrue Accusations Begin
The inquest heard how his parent got a communication on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a woman inquiring if her son was her offspring. The communication stated: "Inform him thanks for breaking into my flat."
In a statement presented to the court, Lisa Lloyd said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's ashes had been stolen in a break-in - a allegation which was untrue.
Law Enforcement Inquiry
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 taken in the beginning".
News coverage about the alleged taken ashes generated social media comments, and although Kai was not identified in the posts, his mother said people "understood it was him".
The "social media content were extremely upsetting", she said.
Emotional Wellbeing Effect
She added 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 affected him severely," she commented, "particularly when this was untrue".
Kai was detained at home, but nothing was found. He was taken to a police station and later released under investigation.
Police said they would be in touch, the inquest learned, but had failed to reached out to the family by the time of his death.
Withdrawal and Worry
His parent 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 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 resident who resided there had said he could use the toilet anytime he needed, but denied removing anything.
Digital Bullying
In a joint statement between her and her husband, Mrs Lloyd said her child was being harassed digitally after the allegations.
The inquest heard that one 19-year-old urged Kai to kill himself.
She had no concerns on the night before he died, explaining how she had listened to him "chuckling and teasing".
She portrayed him as a "compassionate, loving" boy, and said her "relatives is completely devastated".
He had been "obviously hiding his concerns", she said, noting that he could not bear to have anybody "have negative thoughts of him".
School Reaction
The hearing received testimony from educational staff at the local secondary school.
On 8 November, she "overheard some boys discussing that the student had been arrested and that was the initial I learned".
"He informed me... he'd was innocent," she added.
After the discussion, the educator said she rang the family's family landline and left a voicemail saying she had spoken to Kai about the accusations.
The proceedings heard his family said they did not receive that message.
Official Conclusion
Lead coroner informed the inquest he would wait for documents regarding what enhancements had been made to handling suspects with the condition, before determining whether he should make a prevention of future deaths report.
Providing a narrative conclusion, he stated: "Approximately November 8th, 2021, unsupported allegations were made against the teenager, a 14-year-old child.
"Probably untruths were afterwards embellished and exaggerated through the platform of online networks.
"During November 11th, he was interviewed by the authorities and after his interview he was released whilst inquiries continued."
The official concluded: "There is no evidence that the acts or failures of any agency led to or added to his passing and although it was the outcome of a personal action it is impossible to discern his purpose."
