JAY Slater’s distraught family have been sent vile fake ransom demands, an investigator has revealed.
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who is in Tenerife, said the teenager’s loved ones have been grappling with a deluge of cruel threats.
Ian WhittakerJay Slater has been missing since June 17[/caption]
Ian WhittakerMark Williams-Thomas pictured outside the Airbnb Jay went to before he vanished[/caption]
TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITEDJay pictured with mum Debbie and brother Zak[/caption]
Ian WhittakerThe teenager celebrating brother Zak’s 21st with dad Warren[/caption]
It comes after police on the island drastically called off the search for Jay, 19, yesterday – almost two weeks after he vanished on June 17.
Mark – who worked on the Madeleine McCann case – today blasted vicious trolls targeting Jay’s family, who have vowed to keep up the hunt.
He said Jay’s loved ones had received warped ransom demands that have so far proved to be malicious hoaxes.
Mark said: “So much fake content has been created in the Jay Slater case – mocked up chat, messages, pics.
“It’s a very different world we live in today with social media and online detectives.
“Overwhelming response from people has been very positive people just wanting to help, even though most have no direct info, just what they have read, seen or think.
“Also a number of people making vile threats and ransom demands (all checked out and have no credibility.”
Jay’s family yesterday blasted mindless conspiracy theorists and said they felt the “trolls have won” after the search was halted.
Attempts to find Jay have often been overshadowed by vile internet trolls and insensitive conspiracy theorists.
A family source from the UK told The Sun: “Jay’s family can’t help thinking the trolls have won and that they have got the way.
“So many people have been putting horrible messages out there which has only added to the family’s torment.”
Jay’s family have endured an onslaught of nasty messages and bogus theories from trolls online after the teen vanished.
Thousands of keyboard bashers have joined pathetic Facebook groups, including one called Jay Slater Discussions and Theories.
Within the publicly visible groups are dozens of cruel, senseless posts spewing completely unfounded claims and vile comments.
Most are posted anonymously or by trolls using spurious names.
Warped memes about Jay’s disappearance have also been shared within the groups.
Far-fetched theories suggest Jay could have been kidnapped after crossing “Moroccan drugs gangs” or that the mafia is behind his disappearance.
Vicious trolls have compared Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan to Karen Mattews – a woman dubbed “Britain’s worst mum”.
It comes as…
Jay’s family ‘left in dark’ after search ends
Jay might not be ‘missing’, says Brit ex-cop
Teen’s family slam trolls for ‘getting in way’ of hunt
Jay’s family vow to keep going as cops halt search
New childhood pics of Jay emerge
Cops question new witnesses after fresh twist
Jay ‘could have fallen into steep gorge’
Matthews made headlines in 2008 when she cooked up a sickening plot with relative Michael Donovan to make money off her daughter’s fake kidnapping.
Debbie says she has been bombarded with sham calls from idiotic pranksters claiming her son has been kidnapped.
The worried mum also received a warped Snapchat message telling her to “kiss goodbye to your son”.
Jay’s heartbroken family have also had to contend with depraved fake death posts being shared on social media.
And Debbie’s partner Andy Watson said a sick person claiming to be a medium had been in touch with her, claiming to know Jay’s location.
They tried to demand the family by a plane ticket for them to fly to Tenerife in exchange for the knowledge.
It comes as Jay’s family have insisted they will keep searching for the teen, despite the official hunt being called off on Sunday.
While the on the ground search has stopped, police on the island have insisted the case is still very much open.
Detectives have said they will continue investigating and probe any new tip-offs or information that come in.
But Jay‘s family have been left bewildered by the sudden search call off and have vowed to keep looking for answers.
Close family friend Rachel Hargreaves, who has joined them in Tenerife, said: “Nothing has changed. We will continue to search for him.”
Ian WhittakerJay’s parents Debbie and Warren have vowed to keep searching for their son[/caption]
TikTokOne of the horror online trolls made a death hoax about Jay[/caption]
Parents Debbie and Warren, as well as brother Zak, are all in Tenerife still looking for answers on what happened to Jay.
Mark has urged them to use the £45,000 worth of donations on GoFundMe to draft in a team of experts.
He told The Mirror: “The police have put considerable resources into searching for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the search by the police has now ended.
“I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area from where we know Jay last was.”
Jay vanished on the morning of June 17 after a night out at the NRG festival at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas.
He was last seen travelling with the two mystery men in the north of the island in the Rural de Teno park.
Jay made a final frantic phone call to pal Lucy Law to tell her he was stranded in the “middle of nowhere” at about 8.50am on June 17.
Panicked Jay, facing an 11-hour walk back to their hotel, told her he needed water and only had one per cent of battery left on his phone.
His other friend Brad Hargreaves revealed a second call in which Jay told him he had veered off the main path – leading to speculation he may have slid down rocks.
Brad said he could hear the missing teen slipping on rocks during a final video call.
Doug SeeburgPolice searched the island for almost two weeks[/caption]
Ian WhittakerCops drafted in sniffer dogs to try and find Jay[/caption]