June 26th 2024.
Jay Slater's loved ones, including his mother Debbie, had flown to the island earlier this week to join in the search for him. The disappearance of the 19-year-old had sparked wild conspiracy theories and attracted scammers trying to take advantage of the family's pain.
Jay had gone to a music festival in Tenerife before going missing on Monday. He had told his friends that he was lost in the mountains, needed water, and had only 1% battery left on his phone. His family and friends immediately sprang into action, traveling to the island to help with the search efforts.
Debbie has described the search for her son as a "living nightmare." To assist with the expenses of staying in Tenerife, a GoFundMe page was set up with the goal of bringing Jay home. Within a short period, it had raised over £26,500. However, this was after numerous other pages, suspected to be scams, were taken down.
Early on in the search, Jay's family had created a Facebook group to keep everyone updated. They had also made it clear that they did not want any GoFundMe pages created and urged people not to donate to any. Unfortunately, several fake pages had already been set up, and some people pointed out that there were nine fake pages so far.
In response to the fake fundraisers, GoFundMe took action and removed them. A spokesperson for the platform stated that they were working to verify the identity of the organizers and ensure that all donations would go to Jay's family. They also have a dedicated team to review all relevant fundraisers and use technical tools to verify the information provided by organizers.
Sadly, trolls have also targeted Jay's family during this difficult time. One of the administrators of the Facebook group reported that someone had accessed Jay's Instagram account without authorization. They also mentioned that other family members' social media accounts had been hacked. Debbie also revealed that she had received disturbing calls from people claiming to have kidnapped her son.
Conspiracy theories and armchair detectives have also emerged, with some speculating that Jay may have been kidnapped, while others believe he is hiding. The family has pleaded for an end to the cruel comments and speculation, with one of the administrators stating that these comments are only adding to the family's agony.
As the search for Jay enters its sixth day, his loved ones have vowed to continue looking for him. The money raised through GoFundMe will go towards covering the expenses of family and friends staying in Tenerife. The administrator of the Facebook group clarified that the funds will be used for food and accommodation. They also urged people to stop making cruel comments and to think about how they would feel if it were their own loved one who had gone missing.
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