Jay Slater's family welcomes TikToker in search for missing teen in Tenerife
The missing teenager's family has reportedly welcomed the help of a TikToker who is among those posting videos of their search for Jay Slater in Tenerife.
Friday 28 June 2024 11:20, UK
Jay Slater's family has welcomed the help of a TikTok user among those leading an online search for the missing teenager.
Efforts to find Jay Slater continue with his family on the Spanish island of Tenerife, 11 days on from his last communication on 17 June.
He had been on holiday with two friends before his disappearance, with his last known location at Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island - an 11-hour walk away from his accommodation.
Sky News spoke earlier this week to Paul Arnott, who has been sharing clips of his own search effort on TikTok and said he came to Ibiza when he heard the family "needed help".
According to , his efforts attracted the interest of Mr Slater's family, who contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.
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"They said they're really proud of what I'm doing," Mr Arnott, 29, told the newspaper.
Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, told the paper she has "every faith" in the police and singled out Mr Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an "explorer", and another TikTok creator Callum Rahim for thanks.
"[I] can't thank Paul Arnott enough, also Callum Rahim and his friends for working alongside with the search and rescue teams," she said.
"Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and my paranoia, you saw it first hand. As a family, we are in a living nightmare."
Mr Arnott's videos on TikTok have been watched hundreds of thousands of times during the course of the search.
On Friday morning, he posted a video from a mountainous part of Tenerife, where he said he is going to cross steep hills to look for Mr Slater in an area he believes he is likely to be.
That post attracted more than 60,000 views within the first hour.
Social media has also had a dark side for the family, with Ms Duncan and her son's friends at the centre of conspiracy theories.
The construction company that employs Mr Slater shared a post on Facebook earlier on Thursday urging people to stop sending them "cruel" emails and to stop posting theories online.
Also on Thursday, Ms Duncan said £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 donations will help cover her accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island as well as support rescue teams.
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Ms Duncan flew out to join the search for her son on 18 June, the day after he went missing.
The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.
Lucy Law, the friend who last spoke to Mr Slater on the phone, said he told her in a frantic phone call he was lost in the mountains, wasn't aware of his surroundings, and desperately needed a drink.
His phone was on 1%, she added.
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