Jay Slater’s mother has thanked supporters and hit back at ‘trolls’ as she closes a £73,000 GoFundMe campaign launched to support search efforts.
The 19-year-old vanished on the Spanish island of Tenerife after attending a three-day rave in June.
His disappearance sparked a month-long search of the mountainous area near an Airbnb where he was last seen on June 17.
Eventually, his body was found down a ravine, his death likely caused by a ‘plunge from height due to the broken bones he suffered’.
His body was soon flown home to Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, for a funeral, with the costs paid using donations made to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his close friend Lucy Mae to fund search efforts.
That fundraiser has now been closed by Jay’s mother Debbie, with a total of £72,821 donated to the fund.
Debbie posted one last update this month, the first time she’s spoken publicly since August.
In it, she thanked supporters and hit out at ‘trolls’ who spread conspiracy theories about her, her son and his death.
She said: ‘We would like to thank all you beautiful people who supported us throughout this heartbreaking time.
‘Jay really did touch the hearts of the nation and it truly showed us how much love you all shared with us.
‘With your support we were able to stay in Tenerife until we got our beautiful boy back to the UK. We were able to fund the the Signi search team from the Netherlands who supported us throughout the days when Jay was found.
‘Jay truly deserved the send off we were able to give him and we thank you all for that.
‘We have been overwhelmed with messages of support from all over the globe and will be eternally grateful to all of you.
‘Our journey of trauma and grief will continue for ever and we will never recover.
‘We lost our beautiful boy in extremely tragic circumstances whilst the world watched. We do not and will never understand how Jay’s story reached every corner of the globe.
‘Our journey is far from over but the burdens eased with your support. We would also like to thank the person who looked after Jay’s fundraiser page whom we have been in constant contact with, especially whilst in Tenerife, the support and advice you gave will not be forgotten.
‘Donations will be turned off with this final message. Jay’s family and friends are trying to come to terms and process this tragic loss and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
‘This comment from a beautiful donor sticks in our minds so I will share….
‘WE OUTNUMBER THE TROLLS SIGNIFICANTLY. WHEN LOVE VERSUS HATRED, LOVE TRIUMPHS… ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE GOD BLESS YOU ALL.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
