Jay Slater's family post heartbreaking final update as they close £72k GoFundMe

Published 08:41 28 Nov 2024 GMT

Jay Slater's mum Debbie Duncan thanked those who had supported the family through their loss

The family of Jay Slater have given one final update after the GoFundMe set up to raise money for search efforts was closed down for good.

Slater, 19, went missing on 17 June after travelling to Tenerife to attend a festival with friends and then journeyed to a house on the other side of the island.

He had called a friend that morning to say his phone was about to run out of battery and he didn't know where he was, and after an extensive search human remains were discovered on 15 July with them later being confirmed to belong to Jay.

A court spokesperson said the British teen's injuries were consistent with a fall from a cliff.

The GoFundMe set up to support Jay's family in their search continued to receive donations after the announcement of his death, but it has since been brought to an end after raising £72,821.

Jay's mum Debbie Duncan posted an update on 21 November where she thanked everyone who had supported them.

She wrote: "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 burden's 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."

After Jay's body was discovered the fundraiser had amassed around £54,000 in donations, with a GoFundMe spokesperson saying they would 'work together' with his family on the 'next steps' on the donated money.