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Personal Snapshot

A teenage boy was discovered deceased only a few days after being wrongly accused of stealing the ashes of a deceased infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has heard.

Tragic Finding

The young boy's parents discovered his remains in his bedroom at his Flintshire home on November 19th, 2021.

Untrue Accusations Begin

The inquest heard how his mother got a communication on 8 November 2021 via social media, from a individual inquiring if Kai was her offspring. The communication added: "Tell him appreciation for burgling my flat."

In a statement presented to the proceedings, the mother said the individual had been in the news, asserting her infant's ashes had been taken in a burglary - a claim which was false.

Law Enforcement Inquiry

An investigation report from authorities later concluded the supposed break-in complainant had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the items was not stolen in the first place".

Media reports about the alleged taken remains generated online comments, and although the teenager was not named in the posts, his parent said individuals "understood it was him".

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

Emotional Health Effect

She added that Kai had been diagnosed with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that condition, other individuals' views genuinely mattered to him.

"It would have hurt him deeply," she commented, "especially when this was untrue".

The teenager was detained at his residence, but nothing was discovered. He was taken to a law enforcement facility and later released pending further inquiry.

Police said they would be in contact, the hearing heard, but had not reached out to the family by the time of his death.

Withdrawal and Worry

His mother said her son "became isolated" 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 much longer".

When she spoke to him about the supposed burglary, she said her son informed her he had entered the residence because the woman who lived there had said he could utilize the toilet whenever he needed, but denied taking anything.

Digital Harassment

In a joint statement between her and her husband, Mrs Lloyd said her son was being bullied digitally after the allegations.

The proceedings learned that a young adult urged Kai to kill himself.

She had no concerns on the night before he died, describing how she had listened to him "laughing and teasing".

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

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

Educational Reaction

The inquest received testimony from school staff at the local secondary school.

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

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

After the conversation, the staff member said she called Kai's family landline and left a message saying she had spoken to Kai about the accusations.

The court heard his parents said they never receive that communication.

Official Finding

Lead coroner informed the hearing he would wait for documents regarding what improvements had been made to handling individuals with the condition, before deciding whether he should make a avoidance of future fatalities report.

Providing a narrative conclusion, he said: "Approximately 8 November 2021, unsupported accusations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a young child.

"Likely falsehoods were afterwards embellished and amplified through the platform of social media.

"On November 11th, he was questioned by the authorities and following his questioning he was freed while investigations proceeded."

The official determined: "There is no proof that the actions or failures of any agency led to or added to his death and although it was the outcome of a personal action it is impossible to discern his intent."