The mother of Jay Slater’s friend who partied with him in Tenerife has said that he has received death threats from online trolls since the British teenager went missing.
Brandon Hodgson, 19, was pictured with the apprentice bricklayer on June 15 - the second day of the NRG festival they had both attended on the Spanish island.
Mr Hodgson’s mother has hit out at the abusers, sharing her frustrations in an interview with the Mail on Thursday.
“He’s got death threats and all sorts,” she said from the family’s home in Brierfield, Lancashire, adding there has been a “hate campaign”.
“He’s working with the police and that’s all he needs to do. He’s liaising with the police, and that’s all that matters.”
Mr Slater was staying at a resort in Playa de las Americas but left the festival with another group on June 16 and went with them to an Airbnb in Masca, a one hour journey.
The next morning, Mr Slater called his friend Lucy Mae Law at around 8.50am - saying that he had one per cent phone battery, was lost, had no water, and was attempting to walk back.
He was reported missing the same day, June 17, and has not been seen since. The Spanish Civil Guard had led massive search efforts but discontinued the hunt on June 30.
Police have now said that Mr Slater could be on another part of the island.
A spokesman told The Sun: “The investigation is ongoing and several lines of inquiry are being pursued.”
A source close to the search reportedly said they were still hopeful of finding the teenager alive.
They insisted that the investigation had not yet classed Mr Slater as "missing feared dead", the newspaper reported.
Throughout the search, the family have had to deal with DIY sleuths making suggestions online as well as trolling.
TikToker Callum Fahim, who had flown to Tenerife to aid in the hunt, said he left and returned to London because he “no longer felt safe”.
"The situation became horrific," Mr Fahim told The Independent. "I didn't feel safe but felt a duty to stay. I didn't want to fail until we found him.
"Hearing the heartbreak from his mum, I wish them nothing but success."
