Jay Slater’s mum 'didn't want to touch' GoFundMe cash as she reveals how it was spent

The mother of Jay Slater has revealed how donations to a GoFundMe were spent on the search for the missing teen – but says online trolling made her not want to ‘touch’ the money.

The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, disappeared after a night out at a festival on the Spanish island of Tenerife. A huge manhunt was launched, which saw teams of police and volunteers combing the steep terrain where Jay’s phone last pinged a signal.

His body was eventually found in a ravine in Rural de Teno park after almost a month-long search. A post-mortem found that he died of head injuries, consistent with a fall from a height.

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A GoFundMe was set up three days after his disappearance by a friend of Jay’s, Lucy Mae Law. She had been attending the festival too and was the last person to speak to Jay by phone, who said he was lost, had no water and only 1% battery on his phone as he attempted to walk some 45 kilometres back to his accommodation.

With almost six thousand donations, the fundraiser now stands at £72,631, more than double the initial target of £30,000. It was set up on behalf of Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan – who told the Sun she had been hit by accusations that the funds had been misused.

“We have had all these people slagging me off about a GoFundMe that I didn’t ask for,” she told the outlet.

“I said I don’t want to use it, and didn’t want to touch it. The only things it's been used for are some accommodation costs, the dog team that came over - and some repatriation costs which are still ongoing.”

Jay’s disappearance attracted massive media attention, with wild theories from internet sleuths