Jay Slater's family blast trolls over bogus leads following sightings on the ‘Eurostar’ and ‘watching the Euros’

21 July 2024, 17:39 | Updated: 21 July 2024, 17:40

The head of the missing persons charity supporting Jay Slater’s family has called out trolls for bogus leads following the missing teen’s disappearance.

Matthew Searle, CEO of LBT Global, claims he received a series of hateful messages detailing bogus leads relating to 19-year-old Jay Slater.

Following the teen’s disappearance on June 17, the Slater family were subjected to hoax demands, with trolls claiming they were holding the apprentice bricklayer hostage.

Jay Slater went missing in Tenerife after leaving the NRG music festival in the tourist hotspot of Playa de las Americas to return to his Airbnb.

On 15 July, the Spanish Civil Guard found a body near to where Jay disappeared, which was later identified as Jay.

LBT Global were involved in the search for Jay, with the charity’s boss claiming that the fake leads had interfered with ongoing investigations into the case.

Among the fake tips investigated by LBT Global were “Jay Slater in a Sainsbury’s in Basingstoke, watching a Euros match in a pub in Droitwich, and in the Eurostar”, said the charity boss.

The flurry of fake claims has prompted Mr Searle to plan a meeting with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the involvement of online trolls at a crucial time in a missing person’s case, he told the Sunday Times.

Read more: Jay Slater's GoFundMe page hits £70k after teen's mum appeals for funeral donations

Read more: Jay Slater’s body to be flown back to the UK as second post-mortem may take place

“We’re going to get a case where the police will be dealing with the malicious side of it, and they miss an opportunity to actually rescue someone, and someone’s life will be lost.”

Despite the online abuse, public support for Jay Slater and his family has been far-reaching. The 19-year-old's GoFundMe page recently hit £70k, following Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan’s plea to give her son the “send-off he deserves”.

The fundraiser has received more than 5,700 donations.

Mr Searle said that online trolls have even previously laid claims to the legitimacy of the GoFundMe page, asking whether Jay’s family needed that much cash.

Firing back at the cruel trolls, he said: “the hate comes from people who, I assume, have never had to repatriate a deceased loved one”. He added that the costs to repatriate a person can easily exceed £20k, reported The Sun.

Police are said to be investigating the influx of hateful messages received by Mr Seale and Jay’s mum during the disappearance of the teen since it falls under telecommunications laws.

In a bid to cover their tracks, online trolls are believed to have used single-use email addresses and SIM cards.

Jay Slater’s family expressed their gratitude to LBT Global in a statement from Debbie Duncan: "We would like to thank LBT Global for their support during this impossible time.

"We are working with agencies to arrange Jay's repatriation to the UK and the remaining funds, along with any future donations will be used to help with this if needed and to pay for Jay’s funeral costs back home.”