Youth Found Deceased Following False Accusations of Stealing Cremated Remains

Family Photo
Kai Lloyd's mother and father found his body in his room in November 2021

A 14-year-old boy was discovered deceased only a few days after being falsely blamed of taking the ashes of a dead infant during a break-in, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Heartbreaking Finding

Kai Lloyd's mother and father found his body in his bedroom at his Connah's Quay residence on November 19th, 2021.

False Allegations Begin

The inquest heard how his parent received a communication on 8 November 2021 via online platforms, from a individual asking if her son was her offspring. The communication added: "Inform him appreciation for burgling my apartment."

In a testimony presented to the court, the mother said the individual had been in the media, claiming her infant's ashes had been stolen in a break-in - a claim which was false.

Law Enforcement Investigation

An investigation report from police later determined the alleged burglary complainant had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the items was not stolen in the first place".

News coverage about the alleged stolen ashes generated online comments, and although Kai was not named in the messages, his parent said individuals "knew it was him".

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

Emotional Wellbeing Effect

She added that Kai had been identified with moderate ADHD, and as part of that condition, other peoples' views really were important to him.

"This must have hurt him deeply," she said, "especially when this was not true".

Kai was detained at home, but no evidence was discovered. He was taken to a police station and later released under investigation.

Police said they would be in contact, the inquest heard, but had failed to reached out to the relatives by the time of his passing.

Isolation 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 condition meant sometimes "a minute could seem like days".

When she talked to him about the alleged incident, she said her child told her he had gone into the residence because the woman who resided there had said he could use the toilet anytime he wanted, but refuted removing anything.

Digital Harassment

In a combined testimony between her and her husband, Mrs Lloyd said her son was being harassed online after the allegations.

The proceedings learned that one 19-year-old urged Kai to end his life.

She had no worries on the evening before he passed away, describing how she had listened to him "laughing and joking".

She described him as a "compassionate, loving" young man, and said her "relatives is completely devastated".

He had been "clearly hiding his worries", she stated, adding that he could not bear to have anyone "think bad of him".

School Reaction

The inquest received testimony from school staff at Connah's Quay High School.

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

"He informed me... he'd done nothing wrong," she added.

After the conversation, the educator said she called Kai's parents' telephone and left a voicemail saying she had communicated to the student about the accusations.

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

Formal Conclusion

Senior coroner told the hearing he would wait for documents regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with suspects with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of subsequent fatalities report.

Providing a narrative conclusion, he stated: "Around 8 November 2021, unsupported accusations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old individual.

"Probably untruths were afterwards embellished and exaggerated through the medium of online networks.

"On 11 November, he was questioned by the authorities and after his questioning he was released whilst investigations continued."

The coroner determined: "Exists no evidence that the actions or failures of any agency led to or contributed to his passing and although it was the result of a personal action it is not possible to discern his intent."

Donna Berry
Donna Berry

A tech enthusiast and software developer with a passion for sharing knowledge and driving innovation in the digital space.