Mother of Jay Slater says trolls accused her of murder amid Tenerife disappearance

Debbie Duncan, the mother of 19-year-old Jay Slater, said online trolls accused her of murdering her son amid the social media frenzy around his Tenerife disappearance last year. A Lancashire inquest later ruled that Slater died accidentally, and Hyndburn MP Sarah Smith has backed a push for a law to curb speculation during missing-person searches.

Ms. Duncan, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, told BBC Breakfast that misinformation during the 29-day search had taken a huge toll on the family. She said there was a different story every day and that they did not know what was real. Hyndburn Labour MP Sarah Smith said it is entirely wrong that people can continue to speculate with no end date about what happened, with little regard for how that affected those who have lost a loved one.

Slater's body was discovered in a ravine on Tenerife on 15 July after the 29-day search that drew headlines around the world. In the inquest, the Lancashire coroner Dr James Adeley ruled that Slater died accidentally and that there was no third-party involvement.

Ms. Duncan is featured in a Channel 4 documentary about her son, The Disappearance of Jay Slater, which will be shown on Sunday.

Online platforms told the BBC they would remove misinformation likely to contribute to the risk of imminent physical harm or interference. YouTube said it bans certain types of misleading and deceptive content with serious risk of harm, while TikTok said it did not allow misinformation on its platform.

Hyndburn MP Smith said that repeated online speculation places an ongoing burden on families and described the situation as a living hell for those who have lost loved ones, with speculators moving from family to family.

The Channel 4 documentary and these discussions highlight the broader challenge of online harassment in missing-person cases and have spurred renewed calls for safeguards to curb misinformation during searches.