Jay Slater's mum shares how £72,000 raised on Go Fund Me page was spent in emotional final message

Debbie Duncan, mother of Jay Slater, expressed profound gratitude to all the contributors on a Go Fund Me page for her family, after a staggering sum of over £72,000 was raised. She updated the fundraising page last week, announcing the enf of donations and detailed how the funds were used.

Jay Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared whilst on a festival holiday in Tenerife on June 17. This led to an extensive search on the Spanish island that drew international media attention.

On July 15, Jay, 19, was sadly found deceased near the village of Masca, near to the location he was last seen. An autopsy revealed that he suffered fatal head injuries, indicative of a fall.

On the Go Fund Me page, Debbie expressed her thanks for the support and contributions in the wake of her 'beautiful boy' Jay's passing. His friend Lucy started the fundraiser on June 20.

Following the discovery of Jay's body, Debbie urged the community to donate towards funeral expenses and the return of his remains, reports the Manchester Evening News.

In her message Debbie stated: "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 mum expressed her gratitude: "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."

Last week, Debbie thanked the 'beautiful people' who had donated during the 'heartbreaking time', as she closed the fundraising page, which reached a total of £72,821. She also shared that the funds went towards helping the family stay in Tenerife during the search, funding a Netherlands-based search team, and covering Jay's funeral expenses. In a final update on the fundraiser, she said: "We would like to thank all you beautiful people who supported us throughout this heartbreaking time.

"Jay really did touch the hearts of the nation and it truly showed us how much love you all shared 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 the the Signi 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.

"We have been overwhelmed with messages of support from all over the globe and will be eternally grateful to all of you. Our journey of trauma and grief will continue for ever and we will never recover.

"We lost our beautiful boy in extremely tragic circumstances whilst the world watched. We do not and will never understand how Jay's story reached every corner of the globe.

"Our journey is far from over but the burdens eased with your support. We would also like to thank the person who looked after Jay's fundraiser page whom we have been in constant contact with, especially whilst in Tenerife, the support and advice you gave will not be forgotten.

"Donations will be turned off with this final message. Jay's family and friends are trying to come to terms and process this tragic loss and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This comment from a beautiful donor sticks in our minds so I will share....

"WE OUTNUMBER THE TROLLS SIGNIFICANTLY. WHEN LOVE VERSUS HATRED, LOVE TRIUMPHS... ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Jay's loving family and friends xxx".

Jay disappeared after attending the NRG music festival in Tenerife with his two friends. His last known whereabouts was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from where he was staying.

He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled 'not relevant' to the case. The Spanish Civil Guard suggested the teenager could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was found.