The mother of British teenager Jay Slater who was found dead on holiday in Tenerife has asked for more donations to help give him “the send-off he deserves”.
In a statement released on Thursday, Debbie Duncan asked people to “continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can”.
The ‘Get Jay Slater Home’ GoFundMe page was set up soon after he disappeared to help contribute to the family’s travel and accommodation expenses while they stayed on the island to look for him. It has raised more than £59,000 so far.
Earlier this week local officials confirmed a body found by rescue workers near the village of Masca belonged to the 19-year-old.
He had attended a music festival in the southern resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June and was given a lift to the Masca area.
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When he spoke to his friend Lucy Law the morning after, he told her he was lost, needed water and his phone was on 1% battery, adding that he planned to walk back to his holiday accommodation in Los Cristianos – a journey of about 11 hours.
When he was reported missing, a search party scoured a large area around Masca, with the help of Mr Slater’s family, friends, and local volunteers.
The high-profile disappearance saw strangers travel to the island to help with the search, including TikTok star Callum Fahim.
After the identity of the body found by rescuers was confirmed on Tuesday, Ms Duncan said the family’s “hearts are broken”, and she “can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy”.
The area near the village of Masca that was searched
Tributes to Jay Slater near where he disappeared. Pic: Jesus Cabrera
In the latest statement, she said: “Hello everyone, thank you for all of your kindness, support and condolences in light of the tragic news that Jay’s body has been found. We are overwhelmed with grief and are so grateful for your support.
“The wonderful team from the Netherlands, Signi Zoekhondon, have remained in Spain all week and have continued to support us since Jay was found.
“They are due to fly home in the coming days and we are so appreciative of their dedication and support.
“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.
“We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves so please do continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can.”
