JAYA Slater’s mum has thanked well-wishers after shutting down her £72,000 GoFundMe page – four months after her son’s tragic death.
Debbie Duncan (56) also revealed what she spent the money on in a touching final message.
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Debbie shared a final message thanking those who helped and donated Credit: CHRIS NEILL
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Debbie also revealed what the £72,000 donation was spent on Credit: Louis Wood
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The heartbroken mother previously slammed internet trolls Credit: Louis Wood
Jay’s best friend Lucy Mae – who was with him in Tenerife when he disappeared – set up a GoFundMe.
Debbie closed the fundraising page last Thursday, thanking “all of you wonderful people who have supported us through this heartbreaking time”.
She added: “Jay really touched the hearts of the nation and really showed us how much love you share with us.
“With your support we were able to stay in Tenerife until we got our beautiful boy back to the UK.
“We were able to fund Signi’s search team from the Netherlands who supported us throughout the days when Jay was found.
“Jay truly deserved the send off we were able to give him and we thank you all for that.”
Devastated Debbie said she has been “overwhelmed” by messages of support.
“Our journey of trauma and grief will continue forever and we will never recover,” she said.
“We lost our beautiful boy in extremely tragic circumstances while the world watched.
“We don’t know and will never understand how Jay’s story got to every corner of the world.”
Detective Jay Slater says he knows WHY a teenager left Airbnb on his last trip
The grieving mom confirmed that this will be the last message on the GoFundMe page.
She continued: “Our journey is far from over, but the burden is lightened with your support.
“We would also like to thank the person who took care of Jay’s fundraising page, who we were in constant contact with, especially while we were in Tenerife.
“The support and advice you gave will not be forgotten.
“Donations will be turned off with this last message.
“Jay’s family and friends are trying to come to terms with and process this tragic loss and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
The GoFundMe raised a total of £72,821.
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Debbie has previously lashed out at vicious internet trolls targeting her and Jay.
She spoke of the nasty abuse she witnessed while searching for her son.
She said at the time: “Losing Jay was hard enough, but reading what some people write is torture.
“I’m actually not well and I’d be lying if I said I was fine, the last few hours have just been horrible.”
SEARCH FOR THE EGG
In June, the search for Jay Slater gained national attention after he disappeared while on holiday with friends in Tenerife.
He was last seen leaving Papagayo nightclub with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 14 miles away in the village of Masca.
Jay called Lucy Mae at 8.50am the morning he was last seen.
The chilling call said he was “lost in the middle of nowhere”.
The timeline of the tragic case
JAY’S body has finally been found after weeks of agony from the teenager’s friends and family with many questions still unanswered – here’s how events unfolded…
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party on the last day of the NRG music festival held at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay goes with Ayub Qassim and another man to a £40-a-night Airbnb 14 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat of himself standing in the doorway of an Airbnb.
8.50am: Calls friend Lucy Mae Law and says he’s “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut on his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Friend search area, but no sign of Jay. Local police and mountain rescue teams begin an official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan is flying to Tenerife.
19.-20. June: Spanish police send in drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no leads. The search is moving to Los Cristianos amid a possible sighting, but that has been ruled out and
they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but are refused.
June 22: Mum Debbie makes an emotional appeal to Jay, saying: “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims Jay has been seen in Santiago del Teide — close to where he disappeared — and the family believe a grainy CCTV image could be his image.
June 25: Debbie urges her son to come home as more friends fly in and TV detective Mark Williams-Thomas joins the search.
June 29: The police excluded Mr. Qassim and another Airbnb man under investigation.
June 30: Spanish police officially suspend the hunt, but say the investigation “remains open.” His family continues the search.
July 15: A helicopter search team found a body near where his phone last pinged. His possessions were discovered next to human remains. Spanish police say this indicates an “accidental fall”.
August 5: Tenerife authorities confirm that a body has been found in the mountainous area of the island of Jayevo.
August 10: Jay’s funeral is held at Accrington Crematorium, Lancs, with hundreds of mourners gathered to remember the “one-of-a-kind” teenager
An extensive search was called off and Jay Slater’s remains were found two weeks later.
His death was declared an “accidental fall” down a dangerous precipice.
The funeral for the teenager was held in August.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Debbie said: “Jay was just a lovely boy with a massive personality.
“Everybody loved being around Jay – family, friends and work.
“He was lovely and popular, always full of fun and smiling – and the main guy in the group.”
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Jay was found dead near where his phone last pinged Credit: MEN Media
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Debbie paid tribute to her baby boy after he was found in Tenerife Credit: Zenpix
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The search for Jay Slater has sparked a massive manhuntCredit: Doug Seeburg
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