{"id":5385,"date":"2026-04-03T18:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/5385\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T18:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:41:09","slug":"jay-slaters-mum-reveals-disturbing-aftermath-of-sons-tragic-holiday-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/5385\/","title":{"rendered":"Jay Slater’s mum reveals disturbing aftermath of son’s tragic holiday death"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Jay Slater disappeared in Tenerife, a malicious campaign of online abuse began for his distraught mother, Debbie Duncan, who now campaigns for an end to ‘tragedy trolling’<\/p>\n

17:34, 02 Apr 2026Updated 13:26, 03 Apr 2026<\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/p>\n

Jay Slater, 19, went missing on 17 June, 2024, during a trip to Tenerife with friends (Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Tragedy trolls drove the mother of Jay Slater<\/a> to a nervous breakdown after more than 300 million videos were made relating to her son, following his disappearance in Tenerife. Debbie Duncan was distraught when Jay, 19, went missing on 17 June, 2024<\/a>, during a trip to the Canary Island with friends to attend the NRG music festival – his first holiday without his parents.<\/p>\n

Now the mum, who has launched a petition calling for Jay\u2019s Law<\/a>, to stamp out malicious online content, following the vile trolling she and her family have been exposed to, is backing the Mirror<\/a>\u2019s Missed campaign and Missing People<\/a>\u2019s call to end tragedy trolling. After Jay went missing, an extensive 29 day search took place, before his body was discovered on 15 July, 2024<\/a>. He\u2019d suffered a catastrophic fall on the way back to his accommodation after a night out.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Keir Starmer slams ‘vile online abuse’ and backs Mirror Missed campaign<\/a><\/p>\n

Debbie, 57, of Oswaldtwistle, who has another son, Zak, 26, says of the relentless abuse she and her family have suffered: \u201cI\u2019m surprised I\u2019m not in a padded cell. We\u2019ve been through hell and back at the hands of so-called online sleuths. It dehumanised our son. It’s been like living in a movie – but with no pause button. I’m a mother who has lost her son, but have been slagged off and treated like I’m subhuman. You name it, we\u2019ve had it, on platforms from Facebook<\/a> to Tiktok to YouTube<\/a>. Prank calls and social media posts saying, \u2018we know where Jay is\u2019 and dragging his friends, and even his brother, into it – \u2018Zak is too quiet, he knows more than he\u2019s letting on\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Doting<\/p>\n

Doting mum Debbie, holding a picture of her son Jay(Image: Channel 4)<\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/p>\n

Jay suffered a catastrophic fall on the way back to his accommodation after a night out.(Image: Family Handout\/LBT Global\/PA)<\/p>\n

When tragedy trolls discovered that one of Jay\u2019s friends on the holiday had a conviction for drug dealing, the abuse became stratospheric. Debbie continues: \u201cPeople began to make videos with voiceovers about Jay being in a drug-fuelled underworld. It was mad, a snowball, out of control. They were sending photographs of photoshopped images of Jay, making out he’d been tortured.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Jay\u2019s body was discovered, the trolls changed tack. Debbie says: \u201cTrolls said it wasn\u2019t him in the coffin and the only way to be sure was to dig him up.\u201d When a friend set up a GoFundMe to cover search costs, accommodation for the family in Tenerife and repatriation costs, Debbie says: \u201cPeople said I was using it to pay drug debts. They said our whole family were drug dealers. It was just soul destroying, because nobody knows us, but yet we were judged in such a bad way. We live in a nice house, we’ve all worked, we all have jobs, there’s no criminals in our family.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrolls make up their own narrative. And then people comment on the content, slagging me off. I\u2019ve visited the police station so many times, but there\u2019s not much they can do. And I\u2019ve reported so many videos, but they don’t get taken down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Debbie's<\/p>\n

Debbie’s Jay\u2019s Law petition is demanding that social media platforms be legally required to immediately remove organised misinformation and speculative malicious content aimed at grieving families(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Debbie is also backing the Missing People charity\u2019s campaign to end tragedy trolling(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Unable to properly grieve, Debbie\u2019s mental health crashed. She says: \u201cI wasn\u2019t allowed to grieve when they found his body, because the white hot spotlight of social media pointed right at us. I had a full on mental breakdown.\u201d A finance officer at a high school, she lost her job as a result of poor mental health, adding: \u201cWhatever I did or said was ripped to pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Debbie, whose Jay\u2019s Law petition is demanding that social media platforms be legally required to immediately remove organised misinformation and speculative malicious content aimed at grieving families, is backing the Missing People charity\u2019s campaign to end tragedy trolling. This is cyberbullying, in which perpetrators post abusive, mocking, or sensationalised content; spreading misinformation, accusations and theories about missing people on social media – to stop.<\/p>\n

Ross Miller, CEO of Missing People – which also backs The Mirror\u2019s Missed campaign – highlighting forgotten, unsolved, or underreported cases of lost loved ones, says: \u201cSome of the content we\u2019re seeing is truly vile. This has got to stop – right now.\u201d While Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> – who has backed the campaign – says: \u201cFamilies whose loved ones are missing are living through unimaginable pain, and the vile online abuse some of them face is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After Jay went missing, an extensive 29 day search took place, before his body was discovered on 15 July, 2024(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Debbie says: “To trolls I say, \u2018your words can’t hurt me now. I’ve lost my son and there’s nothing worse than losing a child. I’m thick skinned now, you can say what you want.\u2019”(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Already supported by her local MP Sarah Smith, in the last week, Debbie has gained official government recognition for her Jay\u2019s Law petition, after visiting the House of Commons<\/a> and speaking to Kanishka Narayan, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for AI and Online Safety). She says: \u201cHe really listened. I had a meltdown, I was emotional, and I thought \u2018this is what you need to see – you need to see what is actually happening to families.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie, who needs 100,000 signatures by May 4 for the petition to be debated in Parliament, received an official response, saying: “The government recognises the devastating impact abuse and misinformation can have on an individual, especially during the loss of a loved one. The Government will continue to engage with platforms on this issue, discussing their actions to combat illegal content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie, who continues to be trolled daily, says: \u201cThere\u2019s still a guy on YouTube who makes a video about Jay for clicks every single day. And it\u2019s monetised, so these people are making money from Jay\u2019s death. It just appalls me.\u201d She thinks the Missing People\u2019s campaign comes not a moment too soon, adding: \u201cTo trolls I say, \u2018your words can’t hurt me now. I’ve lost my son and there’s nothing worse than losing a child. I’m thick skinned now, you can say what you want.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Debbie says: “If it saves one family from going through what ours has, then it\u2019ll be worth it.\u201d(Image: ITV News)<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don’t want this to happen again. We’re real people and we’ve lost our children. I\u2019m going to keep going, keep fighting. My mental health is shot. But if it saves one family from going through what ours has, then it\u2019ll be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

*Sign Debbie\u2019s petition at https:\/\/petition.parliament.uk\/petitions\/742843<\/a><\/p>\n

*The Mirror contacted YouTube, Meta and Tiktok for comment. In response, YouTube said: “Harassment and hate speech are strictly prohibited on YouTube and when we find content that violates our policies, we take action”. According to TikTok, the platform does not allow misinformation that could cause significant harm to individuals or society, no matter the intent of the person posting it, per its Community Guidelines<\/a>. This includes hoaxes, misleading AIGC, and harmful conspiracy theories. TikTok also encourages its community to treat everyone with kindness and respect.<\/p>\n

Missing People\u2019s Demands<\/p>\n

Missing People<\/a> represents the 170,000 people who go missing in the UK every year.<\/p>\n

The charity is calling on content creators to sign a pledge on their website, which says: \u201cI pledge to support Missing People & Responsible Narratives in treating real stories with real respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

They are demanding people:<\/p>\n

Avoid speculation or sharing unverified claimsTreat real stories with respect and remember there is a real person at the centreReject AI\u2011generated or misleading images and audioThink about the family who may read your wordsChoose empathy over entertainmentOnce a person is found, respect their privacy by removing any content you might have shared<\/p>\n

*Sign the pledge at https:\/\/www.missingpeople.org.uk\/based-on-a-true-story<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: ‘My child disappeared after something awful happened – vile trolls blame me’<\/a>