JAY Slater’s family received harrowing fake images from spineless trolls who claimed the teenager had been kidnapped.
One – saying “We have your son” – shows a photo-shopped picture of “Jay” with a chain around his neck and a gash under one eye.
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Brave Debbie Duncan told The Sun in an exclusive interview how the trolling started as soon as she arrived in Tenerife after Jay, 19, went missing on June 17.
Grief-stricken Debbie, 56, wept as she revealed she had been sent thousands of messages, pictures and videos – including disgusting mock-ups of her son being tortured.
The devastated mum was cruelly taunted by ghouls who claimed they had kidnapped her son.
One even sent her a vile fake image they claimed was Jay chained up.
Fighting back tears, Debbie told The Sun: “I wanted to believe that he’d been chained up – because at least that way I knew that he would still be breathing somewhere.
“I wanted to believe he’d been kidnapped and he was being held, because I thought, well, that would mean he’s alive somewhere.
“You know, anything.
“As horrible as it was, I just thought, well, he might be breathing somewhere. “
Debbie admitted that she and her family were “sucked into” some conspiracy theories – as they desperately clung to the hope that Jay was alive.
Heartless trolls hounded Debbie and her family since Jay vanished on June 17 – and even since his body was found on July 15.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram have been rife with baseless, wild conspiracy theories and vicious comments.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, 19, vanished on June 17 after a night out at with friends at a festival in Tenerife.
His remains were found in a ravine in the Rural de Teno park in Tenerife on July 15 after a four-week search.
In her first interview since Jay’s death, Debbie told The Sun…
Sitting alongside son Zak, 24 – in her first interview since Jay’s death, Debbie said: “I don’t even have the words to describe how sick these individuals are.
“I have been terrorised by trolls.
“I have tried to block it out but you can’t.
“However, if I had paid attention to all of them I’d be in a padded cell.”
False accusations over GoFundMe
JAY’S family have been plagued by false accusations they have ‘stolen’ money from a GoFundMe appeal for him.
But it was set up by Jay’s friend, Lucy – and Debbie did not know anything about it until the fund was already established.
And she has been in regular contact with a liaison officer at GoFundMe to outline what money has been used for.
Debbie – whose family turned to search teams in their desperation including private Dutch firm Signi Zoekhonden – had not heard of GoFundMe before the page was set up.
She said: “I did not know anything about GoFundMe and did not know what it was.
“We were only told about it by Lucy when we were at the police station.
“We have had all these people slagging me off about a GoFundMe that I didn’t ask for.
“I said, so I don’t want to use it and didn’t want to touch it.
“The only things it’s been used for are some accommodation costs, the dog team that came over – and some repatriation costs which are still ongoing.
“I have been speaking to GoFundMe me virtually every day and they have been amazing and so supportive.
“They know the money has not been misused – and have been telling me I don’t have to explain what every last penny has been used for.”
