Heartbroken mum collapsed to floor in grief as she was told missing son was dead

30 October 2023 , 22:42

679     0

Jai Palermo was a 'lovely, lovely' boy, his mum told the inquest (Image: Media Wales)

A mum whose teenage boy was found dead in the middle of the night just yards from his home collapsed to the floor when officers said they had found his body, an inquest heard.

Jai Palermo, 13, who had ADHD and sleeping difficulties at the age of six and had been on medication ever since, was found after a police and coastguard missing person search, a four-day inquest at Haverfordwest County Hall was told. He was found with a rope around his neck on January 23, 2020 in a grassy area about four miles from Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Wales. A post-mortem carried out confirmed the cause of death as ‘pressure on neck’.

Jai’s heartbroken mother, Nia Owen, told the inquest: “Two officers came in and I remember thinking ‘he’s not with them, maybe he’s in the car.’ The lady said they had found him and I said ‘OK’. She then said that they had found him and that he was dead. I fell to the floor. I asked what happened and she said that he had hung himself.”

Acting senior coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, Paul Bennett, heard from Nia that Jai had gone to his grandmother’s house after school. Later that evening he was dropped off at his home but then left the property alone. When his mother realised he was not at home she contacted her mother and her ex-husband, Jai’s father, to see if he had made his way to either of their addresses. When it was confirmed that he wasn’t at either property the family began a search and then alerted police.

The devastated mum told the inquest she had concerns about methylphenidate, a medication that Jai had been taking since the age of six without a break. The NHS website lists one potential of the uncommon ‘serious side effects’ as ‘thoughts about harming themselves’. Nia said: “Maybe he would still be alive if I had taken him off it.”

'I lost my son to suicide and my hubby has months to live - every day counts'

Representatives from Dyfed-Powys Police and Hywel Dda University Health Board were also present at the inquest, which will continue on Tuesday and is expected to conclude on Thursday.

• Anyone who is struggling with their mental health can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 116 123

Robert Harries