Jay Slater's family hits back at TikToker who quit search after claiming he's 'never had any money' from GoFundMe

Jay Slater's family have hit back at the TikToker who quit the search after claiming he's 'never had any money' from GoFundMe.

It’s been over two weeks since the 19-year-old lad disappeared in Tenerife on 17 June. And since then, his family have been desperately searching for him on the holiday island, with Spanish officials calling off its search operation last weekend.

The teen from Lancashire went missing after setting off to walk back to his accommodation, when it was believed he’d stayed with strangers he met at a place a 10-hour walk away from his apartment.

Jay had gone out to Tenerife with his friend Lucy Mae and others and is said to have called to say he was ‘lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on one percent' before sending his location and not being heard from again.

Slater has been missing since 17 June. (Family Handout)

Lucy later set up the GoFundMe page for the teen and his family which his mum, Debbie Duncan, wrote on Wednesday (3 July) will be partly used to support volunteers looking for him.

With the page currently sitting at nearly £50,000, she said: “We are currently looking after Paul Arnett, putting together a package of any equipment and essentials he needs and going up to do a drop for him.

“We are also supporting Callum Fahim and his group with accommodation and other essentials.”

The mum added that the remaining money will be used to support rescue teams, as well as her family’s ‘own expenses as we remain in Tenerife looking for our boy’.

However, TikToker Callum has now said that he and his group haven’t seen any of the money raised and planned to return back to the UK yesterday.

He said he's quitting the search. (Callum Fahim)

He told The Independent he was ‘not paid to search’ and the family ‘pay for bits and bobs but we are not paid to do this’.

“We’ve gone through torrential rain, high winds everything. We do need more people, but it is expensive getting here,” the TikToker said.

Callum also claimed he’d been ‘living off BBQ Doritos and Appletisers’ as he explained: “I’ve never met the family. I’m just a randomer from London who saw it online and wanted to help.”

But while he abandons his searching, with claims over the cash, Jay’s family told Sky News that Debbie gave the TikToker £740 of her own cash for accommodation, but he became ‘bitter’ when they refused to give him more. They added they want to save the funds for specialist search and rescue teams - but have to wait for permission from the authorities first.

"We appreciate every single person who's come out," they said.

"He's a hiker. We don't need hikers, we need experts."

Callum told LADbible: "I've never been bitter about the situation. I've received nothing other than my accommodation and flights."