Every once in a while, disaster strikes in the TikTok world. All eyes turn to the victim in the spotlight, and this time, Jay Slater, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, finds himself at the center of an unexpected and unfortunate investigation following his sudden disappearance in Tenerife, Spain.
On Sunday, June 16, Slater and some friends traveled to the Canary Islands for a music festival. He became lost after missing his bus back to the Airbnb. According to Express, on Monday morning, just before his last contact with a friend named Lucy Mae around 8-9 a.m., he was 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the festival site. During the call, he reportedly confirmed that he was lost on a mountainous path and that his phone had only 1% battery remaining. Since then, the teen has been missing.
Considering his young age and seemingly promising future, TikTok immediately shared news of his disappearance, hoping to raise awareness in the Tenerife area. However, his name stirred unfortunate memories for some, and soon internet sleuths found reasons to doubt Slater’s innocence. “He and his gang beat a young lad up with golf clubs and axes. Absolutely disgusting!,” one user commented. Another one said “Fair play to Jay Slater man. Went from nearly killing a kid with a machete to being doner mean in boss man’s shop.”
These comments are in reference to Slater’s criminal past, which has since been shared on Spanish media for possible context. In 2021, he was part of an eight-member gang that attacked 17-year-old Tom Hilton with a machete, golf clubs, and an axe, causing severe injuries including a split skull. Hilton survived after hospitalization, while Slater received an 18-month community order, 25 days of rehabilitation activities, and 150 hours of unpaid work for violent disorder. According to the Daily Mail, Slater headed to Tenerife after completing most of his sentence.
After Spanish media outlets shared Slater’s violent past, the police force and the Guardia Civil Española immediately investigated whether his gang activity might be connected to his disappearance — although, no answers have come from their research. In contrast, TikTok users took a markedly different approach, suggesting that Slater’s disappearance was a result of “karma.” Jokes were also made, with some users even anticipating a potential true crime doc. “Can’t wait for the Netflix adaptation,” one said.
Just a few years ago, in 2019 to be exact, Netflix released an eight-part documentary titled The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, depicting the tragic disappearance of the British preschooler, and which quickly went viral. McCann vanished in 2007 at the age of 3, and on the surface, it may appear that Slater and McCann have little in common, but despite the age and time gap, many TikTok users have noted similarities between McCann’s case and the recent disappearance.
For starters, both situations involved British victims and occurred in countries on the Iberian Peninsula — though McCann’s disappearance happened in Algarve, Portugal. Both Algarve and Tenerife are incredibly popular vacation spots for British families and groups of friends. It is almost an eerie coincidence that both McCann and Slater went missing without anyone noticing, despite being on vacation with friends and family. Per El Español, in 2023, crime rose by 7.2% in Spain, while DGPJ reported an 8% growth in crime activity in Portugal, compared to 2022.
Nonetheless, self-proclaimed experts on TikTok have put forward their own theories. For instance, TikTok user @darthunicorn3.0 shared insights about the island, suggesting it’s “very difficult to go missing in Tenerife.” He also eerily noted that the island is known for having a “serious criminal underworld going on.” On top of that, he questioned the plausibility of Slater following two strangers or venturing into unknown terrain after missing a bus. Theories of a possible kidnapping and speculation that Slater’s criminal past might have caught up with him are some of Tiktok’s conspiracies.
Despite the terrible attack from 2021, Hilton, Slater’s victim, urged internet and TikTok sleuths to “give it a rest” in a Facebook post. He wrote, “This young lad is missing, and his family is heartbroken. Put yourself in their shoes. Stop talking nonsense on social media and help find him.” Slater’s parents are actively engaging with Spanish media and the police, hoping for any updates on his disappearance.
While we’ve only scratched the surface of his disappearance, we can only hope that TikTok’s attempts to vilify Slater do not interfere with the ongoing investigation.