Jay Slater: Family hits back as TikTok star quits search and says he's 'never had any money' from GoFundMe

4 July 2024, 16:31 | Updated: 4 July 2024, 21:14

Jay Slater's family has hit back at a TikToker who quit the search for the missing teenager, saying: "We don't need hikers, we need experts."

Callum Fahim, who flew to Tenerife after contacting the 19-year-old's mother online, told Sky News he has withdrawn after two weeks of looking - and receiving death threats.

He said he and his group have not seen a penny of the money raised to help find Mr Slater and plans to return to the UK on Thursday.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Slater's family said his mother Debbie Duncan gave Mr Fahim £740 of her own money for accommodation but he turned "bitter" after they refused to give him more money.

They said they wanted to save the funds to pay for specialist search and rescue teams likely to cost thousands of pounds - but need to wait for permission from the authorities.

"We appreciate every single person who's come out," they said.

"He's a hiker. We don't need hikers, we need experts."

Mr Slater was last heard from on 17 June after setting off on a walk back to his accommodation - a journey of about 11 hours.

Police called off the land hunt on 30 June after 12 days, but Ms Duncan said she and her family will remain on the Spanish island to continue the search.

In a statement on a GoFundMe page set up to help fund the search for her son - which has raised almost £50,000 - Ms Duncan thanked Spanish authorities and supporters.

She said part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountain - but Mr Fahim has told Sky News he has not received any of the money.

Referencing Mr Fahim and another TikTok user who jetted to Tenerife to help, Ms Duncan wrote: "We are currently looking after Paul Arnett (sic), putting together a package of any equipment and essentials he needs and going up to do a drop for him.

"We are also supporting Callum Fahim and his group with accommodation and other essentials."

The remaining money would be used to support rescue teams, Ms Duncan said, as well as her family's "own expenses as we remain in Tenerife looking for our boy".

Speaking to Sky News after the statement, Mr Fahim, who is in his twenties, insisted: "I haven't had anything from the GoFundMe.

"We have not had a bit of essentials paid for.

"I've never had any money from them whatsoever or even offers to go and pick anything up.

"If they had offered it, personally I would've said maybe a bit of a treat at the end of the week, but don't worry about it."

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But Mr Slater's family disputed his account and said he'd initially agreed for his name to be included in the statement, which appears to have since been edited and no longer mentions Mr Fahim.

They said Mr Fahim "came over of his own accord" and "wanted help with accommodation", accusing him of wanting a "free holiday".

"This is about Jay and he's still missing and we've got people crying about money. It's nothing to do with money," Mr Slater's family said.

"We're not sat here doing nothing. We're doing everything we possibly can to find Jay. We can't go off down hills climbing on our own," they said.

"We wouldn't like to be responsible for anyone hurting themselves."

Mr Fahim, who has been in contact with Ms Duncan through online messages, said he and a search party, including a local hiking group, had retraced all of the likely routes Mr Slater may have taken.

One of the group, Milly, who lives on the island and knows the area well, said: "My group and I live here, we don't need accommodation.

"We haven't received a bottle of water. We haven't had anything and we wouldn't take it. We haven't even had a thank you."

Mr Fahim, who along with Mr Arnott is one of several TikTokers to have joined the search, said he paid to fly to Tenerife himself.

"It's getting very out of control. The situation here is very dangerous at the moment," he said. "I have had death threats.

"I had a long conversation with her [Ms Duncan] and decided I'm withdrawing."

On Thursday afternoon, Ms Duncan addressed speculation over the GoFundMe in a post on a Facebook group set up to help find her son.

The message, posted by her friend, read: "For those of you who are more concerned around the Gofundme page I can assure you that up to now it has not been used and our stay up to now has been financed by ourselves.

"I do have proof of transactions and transfers to other persons but I should not have to justify this.

"So you can make up your own minds. If any of you in this group have donated I am thankful."

The hunt in the northern village of Masca, near Mr Slater's last-known location, took in a steep rocky area, ravines and trails.

Helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find the apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, but without success.

Ms Duncan wrote although the police land search - which "involved every resource they had available" - had ended, officers will "continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation".

Jay Slater's last known whereabouts

Mr Slater travelled to Tenerife with friends on 13 June to attend a music festival at Papagayo nightclub in the southern resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June.

After he left the event, he got in a car early the next morning and travelled to a small Airbnb in Masca with two men, who police said were "not relevant" to the case.

At 8.30am on 17 June, he called his friend Lucy Law, telling her he missed his bus and had tried to walk back to his accommodation.

He said he had "cut his leg" on a cactus, had "no idea where he was", was "lost in the mountains" and his phone battery was on "1%", Miss Law said. Shortly afterwards, his battery ran out and he was reported missing at 9.04am.

His last known location was in the Rural de Teno Park, near Masca.

A local cafe owner previously told Sky News Mr Slater tried to catch a bus back to Los Cristianos, where he was staying.

Ofelia Medina Hernandez said she spoke to the teenager at 8am on the day of his disappearance, telling him a bus was due at 10am - but he set off walking.

She said she later drove past him "walking fast".

The Civil Guard last Friday called for volunteers to join a new search in the Masca area on Saturday.

A handful of volunteers turned up to help rescue teams, forming a group of 30 to 40 people scouring a huge area of rugged and hilly terrain.

Mr Slater's family say they now plan to arrange volunteer groups with experience of the terrain and who know the area, and will supply food and water.

(c) Sky News 2024: Jay Slater: Family hits back as TikTok star quits search and says he's 'never had any money' from GoFundMe