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Personal Snapshot

A 14-year-old youth was found dead just days after being falsely accused of stealing the ashes of a deceased infant during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has learned.

Tragic Finding

The young boy's parents discovered his remains in his bedroom at his Connah's Quay home on 19 November 2021.

Untrue Accusations Start

The investigation heard how his mother got a communication on 8 November 2021 via online platforms, from a individual inquiring if Kai was her child. The message added: "Inform him thanks for breaking into my flat."

In a testimony read to the court, the mother said the woman had been in the news, claiming her baby's remains had been taken in a burglary - a allegation which was untrue.

Law Enforcement Inquiry

An investigation report from authorities later concluded the supposed break-in victim had "provided false information" and "it now appears that the items was never stolen in the beginning".

Media reports about the supposed taken ashes generated online comments, and although the teenager was not identified in the posts, his mother said individuals "knew it was him".

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

Emotional Wellbeing Impact

She added that her son had been diagnosed with moderate ADHD, and as part of that condition, other peoples' views really mattered to him.

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

The teenager was detained at his residence, but nothing was discovered. He was taken to a police station and later freed under investigation.

Authorities said they would be in touch, the inquest learned, but had failed to reached out to the family by the time of his passing.

Withdrawal and Anxiety

His mother said Kai "withdrew into himself" after the arrest and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could seem like days".

When she spoke to him about the supposed incident, she said her child informed her he had gone into the house because the resident who resided there had said he could use the toilet whenever he wanted, but denied removing anything.

Online Bullying

In a joint statement between her and her spouse, Mrs Lloyd said her child was being bullied online after the allegations.

The inquest heard that a young adult encouraged the teenager to kill himself.

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

She portrayed him as a "compassionate, loving" young man, and said her "family is totally devastated".

He had been "clearly hiding his concerns", she stated, adding that he could not stand to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".

Educational Reaction

The inquest received testimony from educational staff at the local High School.

On November 8th, she "heard some students discussing that the student had been arrested and that was the first I learned".

"He told me... he'd done nothing wrong," she continued.

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

The court heard his parents said they did not receive that message.

Formal Conclusion

Senior investigator informed the hearing he would wait for reports regarding what improvements had been made to handling suspects with ADHD, before determining whether he should make a prevention of future fatalities report.

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

"Probably untruths were subsequently exaggerated and amplified through the platform of online networks.

"On 11 November, he was questioned by the police and following his questioning he was freed whilst inquiries continued."

The coroner concluded: "Exists no proof that the actions or failures of any organization caused or added to his death and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted action it is not possible to determine his intent."