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Personal Snapshot

One teenage youth was found dead only a few days following being falsely accused of stealing the cremated remains of a deceased baby during a break-in, an inquest has heard.

Tragic Discovery

The young boy's mother and father found his body in his bedroom at his Connah's Quay residence on 19 November 2021.

False Allegations Begin

The investigation heard how his mother got a message on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a woman asking if Kai was her offspring. The communication stated: "Inform him thanks for burgling my apartment."

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

Police Inquiry

An official inquiry from authorities later determined the supposed break-in victim had "provided false information" and "it now appears that said property was not taken in the first place".

News coverage about the alleged stolen ashes attracted online responses, and although the teenager was not named in the posts, his parent said people "understood it was him".

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

Mental Wellbeing Impact

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

"This must have hurt him deeply," she commented, "especially when this was untrue".

The teenager was detained at his residence, but nothing was found. He was transported to a police station and later freed pending further inquiry.

Authorities said they would be in contact, the inquest heard, but had not reached out to the family by the moment of his death.

Withdrawal and Worry

His mother said Kai "became isolated" after the detention and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "certain periods could seem like much longer".

When she spoke to him about the supposed incident, she said her son informed her he had gone into the residence because the woman who lived there had said he could utilize the bathroom anytime he needed, but denied taking anything.

Online Harassment

In a combined testimony between her and her spouse, the mother said her child was being bullied online after the allegations.

The inquest heard that a 19-year-old urged the teenager to end his life.

She had no worries on the night before he passed away, explaining how she had heard him "laughing and joking".

She portrayed him as a "compassionate, loving" boy, and said her "relatives is completely shattered".

He had been "clearly concealing his concerns", she said, noting that he could not bear to have anyone "have negative thoughts of him".

Educational Response

The inquest heard from school staff at the local secondary school.

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

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

After the discussion, the staff member said she rang Kai's parents' telephone and provided a message saying she had communicated to the student about the accusations.

The court learned his parents said they never got that message.

Formal Conclusion

Lead coroner told the inquest he would await reports regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with individuals with the condition, before determining whether he should make a avoidance of future deaths report.

Delivering a descriptive conclusion, he said: "Approximately November 8th, 2021, unsupported accusations were made against the teenager, a young child.

"Likely falsehoods were subsequently embellished and exaggerated through the medium of online networks.

"On November 11th, he was interviewed by the police and after his questioning he was released while investigations continued."

The coroner concluded: "There is no evidence that the acts or omissions of any organization caused or contributed to his death and although it was the outcome of a self-inflicted act it is impossible to discern his purpose."