Jay Slater fake death social media posts slamemd by family and friends of missing teen

Jay Slater is missing in Tenerife
-Credit: (Image: LancsLive)


As the hunt for missing Lancashire lad Jay Slater enters its second week, his loved ones are grappling with heartless online trolls amidst their already distressing search for the well-liked apprentice.

Jay, a 19 year old from Oswaldtwistle, last made contact on Monday, June 17, when he rang a friend to say he was lost, thirsty and his phone battery was down to one per cent, after a night out in Tenerife. Before his phone died, his last known whereabouts were near Rural de Teno Park, which has been the focus of much of the extensive search efforts to locate him.

Despite a week of rigorous searching involving police officers, mountain rescue teams, drones, fire service personnel and sniffer dogs all mobilised in the effort to bring Jay safely home, he remains missing.

READ MORE: Jay Slater reporter says investigation has run into 'added problem'

With Jay's prolonged absence, his distraught family and friends have been holding out hope for good news - but this hasn't deterred malicious trolls from speculating about his fate online, or even posting false information to further distress his anxious family.

One such bogus post, circulating on TikTok and purporting to be from the admin of the official Facebook group set up to find Jay, 'Rachel Lousie Harg', falsely claimed that Jay's body had been found and pointed the finger at 'Moroccans' for the crime - a claim the real Rachel was forced to refute on social media, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Rachel, sharing a screenshot of the post, clarified: "This isn't me! ! ! ! This is NOT true," before adding a series of heartbroken emojis.

Rachel Louise Harg was forced to address cruel trolls who had impersonated her to spread fake posts that Jay had died
Rachel Louise Harg was forced to address cruel trolls who had impersonated her to spread fake posts that Jay had died

It's not the only heartless content that has made rounds recently as Rachel earlier voiced her dismay at the "sick" individuals spreading false information that potentially jeopardises the ongoing search. She expressed that this experience has been "absolutely soul destroying" and has particularly affected Jay's mother, Debbie, who feels "absolutely broken" due to these assertions.

Despite the misleading posts suggesting otherwise, the hunt for Jay persists, with Spanish police relentlessly pursuing every lead in hope of safely locating the missing apprentice bricklayer and reuniting him with his family.