No evidence Archie Battersbee was taking part in online challenge, coroner says

Police found messages on his phone reflecting a 'very low mood'

A coroner has said that there is no evidence to suggest that Archie Battersbee was taking part in an online challenge when he fatally injured himself. Archie died on August 6 when his life support was withdrawn following a long and protracted legal battle from his family to extend his treatment. His mother, Hollie Dance, found the 12 year-old unconscious at their home in Southend on April 7. He spent the next four months being treated at Royal London Hospital, where doctors declared him "brain-stem dead" and said he had suffered catastrophic brain injuries. Dance said she believed he had been taking part in an online 'blackout' challenge.