A TV detective has claimed he is aware of the actual motive why tragic British teenager Jay Slater left an Airbnb within the early hours of the morning earlier than his dying.
Mark Williams-Thomas, a former police officer turned TV sleuth, is thought for presenting a documentary which uncovered Jimmy Savile and investigating quite a lot of high-profile circumstances, together with lacking Maddie McCann and the PPE scandal.
He flew out to Tenerife to satisfy with the 19-year-old’s household after Jay vanished in June and promised to get ‘solutions’.
It adopted the teenager’s mysterious disappearance – which sparked a collection of ‘vile’ and ‘distressing’ conspiracy theories, that the apprentice bricklayer’s heartbroken household mentioned had ‘hindered’ efforts to seek out him.
Among the many vicious rumours circulating included wild claims Jay had been focused by a legal cartel on the island for allegedly stealing a watch from a gang member – one thing his household vehemently denied occurred.
Jay’s grief-stricken mom, Debbie Duncan, was even terrorised by ruthless on-line trolls, who despatched her 1000’s of messages, photos and movies – together with twisted mock-ups of her son being tortured and held hostage.
Talking in August, the tearful 56-year-old mentioned: ‘I don’t even have the phrases to explain how sick these people are… I’ve been terrorised by trolls.’
Mark Williams-Thomas, a former police officer turned TV sleuth, claimed in a video he is aware of the actual motive why tragic British teenager Jay Slater left an Airbnb earlier than his dying
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, disappeared whereas on a three-day vacation for a music pageant
Jay Slater pictured earlier than he went lacking in Tenerife, seen together with his mom Debbie Duncan
Jay vanished after trying to stroll again to his lodging after lacking a bus from this Airbnb
Spanish police have beforehand searched the Airbnb (pictured) the place Jay was seen
Jay went to the distant cottage – referred to as Casa Abuela Tina, that means Grandma Tina’s home – at 5am on June 17, the day he vanished
Jay posted this Snapchat of himself standing on the steps of the Airbnb villa
Jay from Oswaldtwistle, disappeared whereas on a three-day vacation for a music pageant with pals. His physique was sadly discovered after a month-long search only a few toes from his final recognized location.
It is nonetheless unknown why he determined to go away the Airbnb on a stroll that resulted in his fall down a treacherous and inaccessible ravine, however Mr Williams-Thomas now claims he is aware of the rationale.
Now former officer Mr Williams-Thomas has revealed the affect of the ‘big quantity of misinformation’ surrounding the case, admitting a few of what he was informed within the ‘early days’ wasn’t ‘correct, wasn’t right’.
In a video on social media, he mentioned: ‘There’s an enormous quantity of misinformation. After I went on the market, I took plenty of movies.
‘A few of the data which got here to me within the early days wasn’t correct, wasn’t right and I wanted to validate it.’
He went on to say he’d had a ‘lengthy dialog’ with Jay’s mom Debbie they usually get on ‘very nicely’.
‘It is a mom who misplaced her little one. This case hit headlines worldwide and took on a lifetime of its personal. Folks grew to become fascinated and because of that there have been a lot of conspiracy theories.
‘I used to be very clear from Day One this regarded like a tragic accident. There have been appreciable points – I have not revealed the small print of those points – precisely why Jay left within the method he did. Why did not he return?
‘This stuff I’ve stored to myself at this second in time. Perhaps, when the time is correct, I’ll reveal these.
‘I’ve bought to be very cautious. What I do not need to do is upset the household with any extra trauma than they’ve already had and so it will be one thing I might work very intently with Debbie and the household on to disclose that data.
Mr Williams-Thomas flew out to Tenerife to satisfy with the lacking 19-year-old’s household after he vanished in June and promised to get ‘solutions’
Jay’s household and lots of others laid the 19-year-old to relaxation at his funeral on August 10, and requested he be allowed to relaxation in peace with out conspiracies spiralling about his dying
The order of service for Jay’s funeral featured an image of {the teenager} smiling
Jay’s physique was delivered to Accrington Crematorium Chapel by horse-drawn carriage
Folks put blue ribbons up throughout the church in reminiscence of {the teenager}
‘Perhaps the time will likely be proper quickly, however not proper now.’
In one other video, he mentioned: ‘The proof nonetheless strongly means that Jay left the Airbnb out of the blue and walked for half-hour earlier than wandering off highway.
‘At this stage, I can not clarify any additional what we now know.‘
Replying to a crucial touch upon his submit, Mr Williams-Thomas slammed ‘wild hypothesis’ on social media which was prevalent about Jay’s case.
He mentioned: ‘Maybe we should always inform each police workplace to cease what they’re doing and let each crime be solved by the web detectives. It is referred to as talking to witnesses and acquiring proof.
‘My posts have confirmed information – you might be proper a number of the web posts will likely be right, however others are wild hypothesis.’
The £40-a-night two-bedroom Airbnb Jay vanished from is within the village of Masca round 19 miles from Playa de las Americas, Tenerife.
Jay went to the distant cottage – referred to as Casa Abuela Tina, that means Grandma Tina’s home – at 5am on June 17, the day he went lacking.
The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, close to Manchester, went lacking on June 17
Jay’s mom Debbie and father Warren in Tenerife whereas they had been trying to find their son
Flowers and messages left by the household of Jay by roadside close to the spot he was discovered
He left the property at round 7.30am, posting two photos from it on Snapchat, earlier than probably getting down to catch a bus again in direction of his vacation condo elsewhere on the island.
Jay was final seen strolling uphill and made a remaining name to buddy Lucy Legislation to say he was misplaced, that his telephone was nearly out of battery, and that he wanted water.
In the course of the seek for the lacking teenager, the Fb web page managed by Lucy to assist discover him was flooded with abusive feedback and conspiracy theories.
There have been even a number of pretend GoFundMe hyperlinks posted to lift cash for the search, earlier than the real fundraiser was created.
The boss of the lacking individuals charity which was supporting Jay’s household all through vowed to wage battle on merciless trolls who despatched deceptive and unfaithful tip-offs concerning the teenager.
Matthew Searle, chief government of LBT International, says he acquired tons of of malicious emails, telephone calls and messages with false details about the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer after he disappeared on June 17.
He has handed messages despatched to him and Jay’s mom, Debbie Duncan, to police to research beneath telecommunications legal guidelines. The malignant messages included false ransom calls for from folks claiming to have Jay of their custody.
Others included claims that Jay had been seen in a Sainsbury’s in Basingstoke, watching a soccer match in Germany and on a Eurostar prepare.
Mr Searle mentioned the dangerous actors had delayed real investigations into Jay’s disappearance as a result of he needed to ‘observe up each single lead’.
And it has solely added to the ache felt by Jay Slater’s household after {the teenager}’s physique was discovered on July 15 on the backside of a ravine within the Barranco Juan Lopez valley on Tenerife’s west coast.
Jay’s disappearance captured the eye of individuals the world over, who grew to become closely invested within the seek for the younger man – with echoes of the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, who vanished in January 2023.
TikTok conspiracy concept rabbit holes and ‘discover Jay Slater’ teams on Fb grew to become sources of hypothesis and dangerous, unproven rumours about the place Jay had gone on the day he vanished.
His physique was discovered after a month-long search only a few metres from his final recognized location
A canine within the search staff which looked for Jay Slater in June
This continued regardless of pleas from the household to cease sharing ‘terrible feedback and conspiracy theories’ on-line – as attention-seeking TikTokers flew out to Tenerife and filmed themselves within the valley the place Jay had disappeared.
In launching a TikTok account to doc the seek for his son, Warren Slater urged conspiracy theorists to ‘permit Jay to relaxation in peace’, earlier than sharing clips from the household’s hunt across the Spanish island.
Jay’s father initially launched his new social media account thanking folks for his or her assist and generosity whereas the seek for his son was nonetheless ongoing, earlier than sharing an array of images and movies taken whereas Jay’s household had been in Tenerife.
In a standalone clip, Mr Slater posted a video of himself on the place Jay stayed in June, and tracked the hill which Jay headed in direction of.
He posted to verify the account is his and he clarified the earlier video was taken through the household’s time on the island, to quash suspicion that the daddy had returned.
‘I have not been again to Tenerife ever since I got here again from searching for my son,’ he mentioned.
‘The movies that I have been posting are simply documentation of what I used to be as much as, the place I used to be looking out, issues I used to be taking a look at whereas I whereas I used to be on the market and that is it.’
His authentic submit launching the account on August 15 had requested that folks ‘cease speaking about Jay on-line’ and ‘including to the conspiracy theories surrounding his dying’.
‘Please respect our needs and permit Jay to relaxation in peace,’ Mr Slater added.
And Jay’s heartbroken mom Debbie Duncan, who travelled to Tenerife to seek for her lacking son, mentioned 5 unanswered questions proceed to torment her a month after his physique was discovered, together with why he left the Airbnb.
