Jay Slater’s mum SLAMS investigator for ‘kicking off the trolls’ & hiding info on teen’s death…as she begs ‘just say it’
Debbie also fears Williams-Thomas' latest move may be just a 'PR stunt'
JAY Slater’s heartbroken mum has slammed investigator Mark Williams-Thomas for reigniting “the trolls” and claims he is hiding key information.
Debbie Duncan begged the ex-Madeline McCann cop to either reveal everything he knows about Jay’s death directly to the family and police or “just stay out of it” for good.
It comes after Williams-Thomas claimed he knows the real reason the teen left the Airbnb in Spain before embarking on a doomed last journey in June.
Williams-Thomas has been continuing to investigate the tragic death following Jay’s funeral in August.
On Monday he posted a video on social media saying he has solved two mysteries surrounding Jay: why he left the Airbnb and why he didn’t return.
Despite the claims, the former cop is yet to provide any evidence or explanation but says he is working “closely with the family”.
But a grief-stricken Debbie, 55, has hit out at the former TV sleuth since saying the video has only brought back vile online trolls.
She also said Williams-Thomas’ latest move feels like a “PR stunt”.
The school finance officer told : “If he knows something I wish he would say it, otherwise people will think it’s just publicity and it’s not doing me any good.
“Now it’s all over the news again and it’s really knocked me.
“I thought for a second he might have something but now I’m thinking it might just be a PR stunt.
“All it’s done is that it’s got all the bloody TikTokers back and they have never really stopped which is even sadder.”
Debbie has constantly blasted online trolls for the abuse they have given everyone involved in Jay’s case.
The search for the Lancashire teen was hampered by amateur sleuths and conspiracy theorists who kept on spreading wild claims.
For months they have hounded the Slater family and friends while constantly making up lies about Jay and why he may have gone missing.
The 55-year-old mum has said since the video was released by the investigator the abuse has only worsened.
Debbie continued: “I couldn’t sleep at all last night because after he posted what he did it on his social media just kicked off all the trolls again.
“Losing Jay was hard enough but then having to read what some people are writing is torture.
“I’m not good really and I would be lying if I said I was alright, the last few hours have just been awful.
“What he said has knocked me back a million steps, I just wish he would say what he knows or just stay out of it.”
The pair last spoke a few weeks ago about Jay, Debbie revealed.
She said she asked Williams-Thomas to run through the case with her one more time as the first few weeks in Tenerife had been incredibly tough on her mentally.
Jay left an Airbnb in the village of Masca on June 17 hours after travelling there with two men he’d met at a music festival.
The search made headlines worldwide after sleuths tried to piece the Lancashire teen’s last moments together.
Police spent almost two weeks combing the vast area he may have walked through with drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs before turning to a private search.
Jay’s desperate dad Warren, 58, and brother Zak, 24, also kept up the hunt – retracing Jay’s steps almost every day in the blistering heat.
His body was found 29 days later after he tragically fell to his death sometime after leaving the Airbnb.
Dramatic images showed the moment a helicopter crewman was winched into the chasm with his arms aloft in the delicate recovery operation.
A post mortem conducted in the UK confirmed that Jay died because of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a “fall from height”.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Debbie said: “Jay was just a lovely boy with a massive personality.
“Everybody just loved Jay being in his company – family, friends and work.
“He was loving and popular, always full of fun and smiling – and the main guy in the group.”
Timeline of the tragic case
JAY'S body was finally found after weeks of agony for the teen's friends and family with many questions still left unanswered - here is how the events unfolded...
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party at the last day of NRG music festival being held at Papagayo night club in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay leaves with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 23 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat standing at doorway of the Airbnb.
8.50am: He calls pal Lucy Mae Law and says he is “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Pals search area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan flies to Tenerife.
June 19-20: Spanish police deploy drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no trace. Search moves to Los Cristianos amid possible sighting, but it is ruled out and they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but it is declined.
June 22: Mum Debbie issues emotional appeal to Jay saying “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near to where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues plea for her son to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams- Thomas joins search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and other man at Airbnb, out of investigation.
June 30: Spanish cops officially suspend hunt but say probe “remains open”. His family continue to search.
July 15: A body is found by helicopter search team close to where his phone last pinged. His possessions are discovered next to human remains. Spanish cops say it points to an “accidental fall”.
August 5: Tenerife authorities confirm the body found in mountainous area of island is Jay’s.
August 10: Jay’s funeral is held at Accrington Crematorium, Lancs, with hundreds of mourners gathering to remember the “one of a kind” teen.
