Jay Slater: What is the GoFundMe money being used for now that missing teen’s body has been located?
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The disappearance of British teenager Jay Slater captured the attention of the nation in the weeks since he went missing in Tenerife with thousands of pounds flooding into the GoFundMe to get him home more than doubling the target.
Now Spanish officials say the teenager’s death was likely caused by trauma due to a fall in the rocky ravine near the village of Masca where his phone last pinged.
With the gruelling month-long search for Jay Slater coming to a tragic close people have been asking what the thousands of pounds raised by the family will be spent on now.
It came after GoFundMe had to suspend several fake fundraisers that cropped up in Jay’s name. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is the official GoFundMe page?
The Official GoFundMe page was set up by Jay’s friend Lucy, who was the last person to speak to him on the morning he went missing.
In the description, she details the circumstances around his disappearance and the “frantic” phone call she had with him the morning he went missing.
He had attended the NRG festival with friends last Sunday but travelled to an Airbnb there during the early hours of Monday morning with two men he met at the festival – without realising the distance from his apartment in the tourist area of Los Cristianos.
At around 8.15am, Mr Slater called Lucy, who had been at the festival with him, to tell her he had missed his bus and was planning to make the 11-hour walk back to his accommodation.
The last known location of the apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, placed him on a path in the Rural de Teno National Park at 8.50am.
People can find the fundraiser, which has doubled the £30,000 target, here as the search continues.
What will money be spent on?
As the donations pour in, questions have been raised about what the money will be used for.
But Jay Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan, 55, has now said the funds will go towards giving her son the “send-off” he deserves and bringing him home.
She said: “Hello everyone, thank you for all of your kindness, support and condolences in light of the tragic news that Jay’s body has been found. We are overwhelmed with grief and are so grateful for your support.
“The wonderful team from The Netherlands, Signi Zoekhondon, have remained in Spain all week and have continued to support us since Jay was found. They are due to fly home in the coming days and we are so appreciative of their dedication and support.
“We would like to thank LBT Global for their support during this impossible time.
“We are working with agencies to arrange Jay’s repatriation to the UK and the remaining funds, along with any future donations will be used to help with this if needed and to pay for Jay’s funeral costs back home. We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves so please do continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can.”
What has GoFundMe said?
Nearly a dozen other GoFundMe pages supposedly set up for Jay were promptly shut down as suspected scams.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Our hearts go out to Jay Slater, his family and everyone else concerned about his disappearance. All campaigns are under review and no money will be transferred unless we can verify it goes straight to his family.
“At moments like this, we often see people set up campaigns to benefit strangers when they are moved to help. That is why we work with organisers to ensure any money donated goes to the right place.
“GoFundMe has a dedicated Trust & Safety team reviewing all relevant fundraisers. In addition to the team of experts, we deploy proprietary technical tools and have multiple processes in place to verify the identity of organisers and the recipient of the fundraiser.
“Before money is transferred, an individual or organisation’s information, including their banking information, must be verified.”
