Jay Slater search volunteer condemns online trolling
Jay Slater went missing on June 17th and has not been seen since that day.
Jay Slater's best friend's mom shared with the BBC that they are going through a tough time due to receiving a lot of hurtful messages online.
Rachel Hargreaves, aged 34, is currently in Tenerife helping Debbie Duncan, the mother of Mr. Slater, as she has been tirelessly searching in the mountains for the missing 19-year-old.
Her son Brad went on a trip to the Canary Islands with Mr. Slater, who disappeared on June 17th and has not been seen since he didn't come back to where they were staying.
Ms Hargreaves, a cook from Accrington in Lancashire, shared that a troll had pretended to be her deceased mother, who passed away eight months ago.
Her statements followed Ms. Duncan's announcement that a portion of the £36,000 collected in a fundraising campaign would go towards funding search missions for mountain rescue teams.
At the same time, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron expressed a strong desire to uncover the details of Mr. Slater's situation.
Jay Slater is shown wearing the same outfit he had on when he disappeared.
Ms. Hargreaves said that Mr. Slater is a really nice guy who is almost finished with his apprenticeship in brick-laying and is well-liked by his friends.
She and Brad, who she said was struggling, promised to remain in Tenerife for as long as necessary to help Mr. Slater's mother.
Ever since Mr. Slater's friends and family became concerned and alerted others, the case has garnered a lot of attention from the public. This has led to the emergence of various conspiracy theories and negative online activities.
Ms Hargreaves was singled out for harassment after agreeing to co-administrate an internet Facebook community created by the family, which currently boasts over 590,000 participants.
In an interview with the BBC, she mentioned that among the thousands of comments and messages, there were some from individuals who truly wanted to offer assistance. However, these well-intentioned messages were overlooked amidst the overwhelming amount of negativity and speculation.
She shared that one of the most distressing instances was when she got a friend request on Facebook from a phony account that had her mother's name and photo. At the same time, her son also got a message saying "I miss you."
She mentioned that the photo of her mother is quite old, however, it was on her Facebook profile and somehow they were able to obtain it.
We are currently facing a very challenging situation that is not making things any easier. Despite being typically resilient, this experience has taken a toll on me. Normally, I do not let things bother me this much.
She expressed that it is impossible to adequately describe the emotions she is experiencing. She is simply here, offering support and trying to be strong for her.
I am stepping in to help with the tasks she struggles with, as a mother helping another mother.
Our friendship has grown significantly since then.
We used to talk about Jay and Brad often, as concerned mothers who simply wanted to ensure their safety.
Ms Hargreaves stated that Ms Duncan was collaborating closely with the Spanish officials, but had no clue whatsoever about what had happened to the teenager.
She stated: "The rumors circulating about us are completely false. We are not like that at all."
Before, Ms Duncan of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire expressed her gratitude to the community for their support and donations during challenging times.
She also mentioned that because we will be staying in Tenerife for a longer period of time, we will be using the money to pay for our accommodations and meals.
I have amazing people around me who support me, but they are far away from their families. So, we plan to use some of the money to bring them to Tenerife so we can be there for each other during this difficult period.
The fundraiser has received over £36,000 in donations up to this point.
Ms Duncan stated that the funds are currently being securely held by the crowdfunding platform and have not been used yet.
A Tenerife map displaying the locations where Jay Slater traveled.
On Thursday, Ms. Duncan posted on Facebook saying that it's hard to understand what's going on, but Mr. Slater's loved ones are remaining hopeful that they will locate her son.
Ms Duncan mentioned that she is currently collaborating with Gofundme in order to access a portion of the funds raised, which will be allocated to help mountain rescue teams as they continue searching for Mr Slater.
Ms. Hargreaves informed the BBC that Ms. Duncan was hesitant to spend the money because of the criticism she received online. She had been covering all the expenses herself.
The Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, previously shared on BBC Radio Lancashire that he was "considering and concerned about the family and this young man."
He said: "Our consular representatives are currently in Tenerife speaking with the family, discussing with the local authorities, and I am very eager to see progress made in uncovering the truth of the situation."
According to reports, Mr. Slater was seen leaving the popular tourist area of Playa de las Americas with two British men on the early morning of June 17th.
He was last seen on a trail in the mountainous Rural de Teno national park, approximately a 40-minute drive from where he was last with his friends.
Search dogs who have received specialized training from Madrid were called in to help find Jay Slater.
Mr. Slater, a beginner bricklayer, had gone to Tenerife with two pals to go to the NRG music festival.
He was last known to have contacted someone, just before 9:00 AM BST on June 17th, when he phoned a friend to let them know he was lost, in need of water, and his phone was about to die with only 1% battery left.
Teams of rescuers from the mountains, police officers from the Guardia Civil, drones, trained search dogs, and helicopter crews have all been part of the search efforts, but they have not been able to find the missing person yet.
According to Lancashire Police, they have extended help to the Spanish authorities, but they were turned down as the latter stated that they already have the necessary resources.
