JAY Slater’s mum Debbie Duncan has shared an update on the family’s GoFundMe page after raising more than £50,000.
The incredible sum has been raised to support the family’s search for the missing 19-year-old who vanished on holiday in Tenerife.
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Debbie thanked the generous well-wishers – but also revealed a problem the family are encountering with their search efforts for Jay.
She said they want to use the money to support locals and volunteers.
It comes after a bitter row with a TikToker who quit the search after moaning he had “never had any money” from the family.
Debbie said the family want to bring in more specialist search units – but for this, they need permission from the Spanish police.
At the time of publication, the extraordinary fundraiser has almost reached £51,000.
Debbie wrote: “We are so grateful for your continued support to bring our boy home”
She went on: “We also continue to be contacted by experienced groups offering to support our search.
“We are busy talking to them about what they can do to assist.
“But in order for us to employ their help, they need to have permission from the Spanish authorities.”
Jay’s dad Warren, brother Zak and uncle Glen returned to the mountainous region of Tenerife where it is believed Jay vanished.
The bricklayer, Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, has been missing for almost three weeks after going missing in the early hours of June 17.
He was attending a music festival in Tenerife on his first “lads holiday” – before leaving the night out with two men.
He returned with them to their Airbnb in the mountain village of Masca.
The following morning Jay is believed to have tried to get back to his accommodation in Los Cristianos.
But after a phone call with his friend Lucy Mae Law in which he is said to have revealed his battery was 1 per cent and he cut his leg on a cactus – he vanished.
The search has been the subject of intense interest – and many questions remain over what happened to Jay on his night out.
Both men have been ruled out of the investigation, with one being named as Ayub Qassim – who insists he has “nothing to hide”.
The other – named only as “Jonny Vegas” – remains unidentified, but is understood to have spoken to police.
Other mysteries around the case focus Jay allegedly admitting he stole a “Rolex watch” worth £12,000 on the night he disappeared.
But the case has also sprung up countless conspiracy theories and become an obsession for online sleuths.
Hundreds of thousands of Facebook detectives has signed up to various chat groups as they pour over detail.
Cops used sniffer dogs, drones, a helicopter, dozens of volunteers and mountain rescue experts but to no avail .
They officially called off the search last Sunday.
And his uncle Glen yesterday angrily hit out at the police investigation, saying he wished he could “burst into the police station” and saying he fears a “third party” could have been involved.
In the latest GoFundMe update, Debbie said: “We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support we have received and would like to thank the local hiking group for all of their help planning the routes to find our Jay.
“We have been contacted by a wonderful group of locals who have volunteered to continue the search.
“While they don’t wish to accept financial help for their search, we will be supporting them with supplies and are so grateful for their willingness to help.”
She added: “We will be sure to keep you all updated on our progress and are so grateful for your continued support to bring our boy home.
“Please keep sharing and supporting our fundraiser however you can.”
Glen Duncan, told The Sun on the Spanish island yesterday that he doesn’t believe police are taking the search seriously and labelled it a “massive let down”.
He said: “I don’t know if they’re following up every single lead. I feel like marching down there myself and bursting into the police station.
“What are they actually doing now, the police, I mean they’re not searching with the helicopter are they?
“Are they doing door to door inquiries or sitting there looking at CCTV images?”
Jay’s devastated uncle vowed: “We’re still holding onto hope – we have to because we don’t know.
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“It’s just torture every day. It’s got to a point now where the sadness has gone and it’s just anger.”
He also drew a heartbreaking comparison to the case of missing girl Madeleine McCann, saying – like her family – they will never give up hope.
