The family of missing British teenager Jay Slater have expressed fears that the proliferation of baseless conspiracy theories and hoaxes online may hinder the official search effort in Tenerife. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire has been missing for over a week after attending a music festival on the island.
Spanish rescue teams, including police, fire brigade and civil defence personnel, continue to scour the rugged terrain of the Rural de Teno national park using dogs, drones and helicopters. However, a parallel online investigation has emerged, with thousands of social media users sharing unfounded theories ranging from kidnapping by Moroccan drug gangs to suggestions that the disappearance is a hoax to solicit donations.
Jay Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, described the online speculation as 'horrible' and said Spanish police had told her that the 'noise' could impede their work. 'I think as well they have actually said that there's too much noise, that's affecting it,' she told the Guardian.
Among the more outlandish claims, conspiracy theorist David Icke has suggested that Slater's friend Lucy does not exist and that a power cut at Manchester Airport was linked to the case. Other cruel posts have falsely claimed that Slater has been found or that a body has been recovered, with one image purporting to show a corpse in Los Cristianos actually taken in Iceland.
The official Facebook group set up by a family friend has amassed over half a million members, while a separate group for discussions and theories has nearly 288,000 members. Friends have also reported being impersonated on social media and attempts to hack into Slater's Instagram account.
The case echoes the disappearance of Nicola Bulley in Lancashire last year, whose family criticised 'wildly inaccurate speculation' online. Duncan said she believes 'there's something untoward' about her son's disappearance and that police are investigating all leads.
