Adolescent Found Dead Following False Accusations of Taking Cremated Remains
One 14-year-old boy was found dead only a few days following being wrongly blamed of stealing the ashes of a deceased infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.
Heartbreaking Finding
Kai Lloyd's mother and father discovered his remains in his bedroom at his Flintshire residence on 19 November 2021.
False Allegations Start
The investigation heard how his mother got a message on November 8th, 2021 via social media, from a woman inquiring if her son was her child. The communication added: "Inform him thanks for burgling my flat."
In a testimony read to the court, the mother said the woman had been in the news, asserting her baby's ashes had been taken in a break-in - a allegation which was false.
Police Inquiry
An investigation report from authorities later determined the alleged break-in victim had "lied to police" and "evidence shows that said property was never taken in the beginning".
News coverage about the supposed stolen ashes attracted online comments, and although Kai was not identified in the posts, his parent said people "understood it was him".
The "online posts were extremely upsetting", she stated.
Mental Health Impact
She added that Kai had been identified with moderate ADHD, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' opinions genuinely mattered to him.
"This must have affected him severely," she said, "especially when this was not true".
Kai was detained at his residence, but no evidence was discovered. He was taken to a police station and later freed under investigation.
Police said they would be in touch, the hearing heard, but had not reached out to the relatives by the moment of his passing.
Isolation and Anxiety
His parent said her son "became isolated" after the detention and "would keep asking me whether I had received anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could seem like days".
When she spoke to him about the alleged burglary, she said her son informed her he had gone into the house because the woman who resided there had said he could use the bathroom anytime he needed, but denied taking anything.
Digital Bullying
In a joint statement between her and her husband, the mother said her child was being bullied online after the allegations.
The inquest learned that one young adult encouraged Kai to kill himself.
She had no concerns on the evening before he passed away, describing how she had listened to him "laughing and joking".
She portrayed him as a "caring, loving" young man, and said her "family is completely devastated".
He had been "obviously hiding his worries", she said, noting that he could not bear to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".
School Response
The inquest received testimony from school staff at Connah's Quay High School.
On November 8th, she "heard some boys discussing that Kai had been detained and that was the initial I learned".
"He informed me... he'd was innocent," she added.
After the conversation, the staff member said she called Kai's family telephone and left a voicemail saying she had spoken to the student about the allegations.
The proceedings heard his parents said they did not got that communication.
Official Finding
Senior coroner informed the inquest he would await reports regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of subsequent fatalities report.
Providing a descriptive finding, he stated: "Approximately November 8th, 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against the teenager, a young individual.
"Probably untruths were subsequently exaggerated and exaggerated through the medium of online networks.
"On 11 November, he was questioned by the police and following his questioning he was freed whilst inquiries proceeded."
The coroner concluded: "Exists no evidence that the acts or failures of any organization led to or contributed to his passing and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is impossible to determine his intent."