Jay Slater 'ransom' demand sent to family after search for missing teen called off

Jay Slater's family have been heartbreakingly hit by a FAKE ransom demand as the search is called off following 13 days of unsuccessfully searching for the vanished teen. Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who flew to Tenerife to join the search, says Jay's family have been the target of cruel online trolls.

"So much fake content has been created in the Jay Slater case - mocked up chat, messages, pics”, Williams-Thomas, who worked on the Madeline McCann case, said. "It’s a very different world we live in today with social media and online detectives.

"Overwhelming response from people has been very positive people just wanting to help, even though most have no direct info, just what they have read, seen or think. Also a number of people making vile threats and ransom demands (all checked out and have no credibility)."

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Spanish authorities today confirmed there is “no current evidence of criminality". A family source from the UK told The Sun: “Jay’s family can’t help thinking the trolls have won and that they have got the way. So many people have been putting horrible messages out there which has only added to the family’s torment."

Jay's parents Debbie and Warren have vowed to keep searching for their son. Mark has urged them to use the £45,000 worth of donations on GoFundMe to draft in a team of experts. He told The Mirror: "The police have put considerable resources into searching for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the search by the police has now ended.

"I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area from where we know Jay last was." Close family friend Rachel Hargreaves, who has joined them in Tenerife, said: "Nothing has changed. We will continue to search for him."