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A TikTok hiker fresh from the search for Jay Slater is set to investigate the mountains of Sardinia in a new attempt to find another missing British man abroad.
After gruelling flight transfers and bus journeys from his unsuccessful hunt in Tenerife, Paul Arnott, known as DownTheRapids, landed in Sardinia on Wednesday to search for missing volunteer Michael Frison.
Mr Frison, 25, is thought to have become confused, undressed and disappeared on a walk in the Italian wilderness near Luogosanto, in Valdicorru, at 5.18pm on Saturday.
A manhunt has been launched in the holiday hotspot, but firefighters and the Forest Guard said the rural area is “too vast”.
After landing Mr Arnott, 29, told his 329,000 followers: “Tenerife terrain was crazy guys, it really was, but this is something else.
“This is insane.”
The social media star, who saw his online following grow by more than 100,000 people searching for Jay, said he introduced himself to local fire services who offered him access to their maps. They said it was essential to partner up with other English speakers volunteering for the search in the isolated countryside.
He added: “I can just go out, scan the areas and help out where I can. Just be useful and be an extra body for these guys.”
He points to a fence at an area where Mr Frison’s clothes were found, adding: “The guy who owns that land, we had a little chat, [he’s] a really nice guy. There is a community at the top of the mountains like a commune, I’m sure they are lovely people. But I think we need to go and talk to them. Will keep you updated where I can.”
The TikTok star landed amid rumours that Mr Frison had been found, but had already booked accommodation for the week. He also still has a place in Tenerife until the end of the month and spoke of possibly joining the hunt for missing Ben Ross, who has not been heard from since 10 July when he moved to Majorca.
Mr Frison’s mother Cristina Pittalis, who flew out from Bristol with his younger brother to join the search, previously told The Independent: “[My son] was hoping to do some volunteering work but when he arrived he was very tired, not used to the heat and was possibly dehydrated.
“He went to sleep, and the following day, he was visibly confused. So they gave him water and let him sit in the shade. But he said he would go for a little walk and he hasn’t been seen since. It’s quite an impervious area.”
She said Mr Frison was last seen by an isolated farmhouse surrounded by wilderness.
Asking people not to speculate on his disappearance, she added: “He is a wonderful young man. There were no drugs or alcohol involved. I’m devastated. He must be so scared.
“We are so close, you have no idea. He is so close to his little brother.
“He would never do anything like this to us. We have been through a lot together. His friends in Bristol know him very well. He’s just very fragile and very sensitive.”
In a message directly to her son, she said: “I love you, I miss you, everything will be fine, darling. We are strong together, and we can do this together. Help me find you, tesoro mio [my treasure].”
It came after Debbie Duncan thanked social media sleuths for joining the search for her missing son Mr Slater, whose body was tragically discovered by Spanish mountain rescue on Monday.
She said she had “every faith” in the police and singled out Mr Arnott and another TikTok creator, Callum Fahim, for special thanks.
“[I] can’t thank Paul Arnott enough, also Callum [Fahim] and his friends for working alongside the search and rescue teams,” she said.
“Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and my paranoia, you saw it first hand. As a family, we are in a living nightmare.”
