The TikTok influencer and amateur climber searching for missing teenager Jay Slater said he might set up his own crowdfunding page.
Paul Arnott, who is supported by Jay’s heartbroken mother Debbie and is in regular contact with the family, said he plans to continue the search despite Spanish police announcing they were calling off the search on Sunday.
“I’m going to stay here until I find Jay,” the 29-year-old said on his TikTok channel. “I’m going to try, really.
“A lot of new things have come to light through this interview. “We’re going to be looking at a few things today. One is a three word GPS. The other is a pair of sunglasses that a guy called Chris who I’m meeting later today found.”
And Paul is now reportedly thinking about starting his own fundraiser to raise money for the Scottish Mountain Rescue Team to help explore the dangerous terrain.
Paul is in Tenerife to boost his social media profile and in many clips of his talk he has been criticised by people who claim his TikTok videos are clickbait titles to attract viewers. He spoke about his own problems, including losing his accommodation keys and trying to find his SIM card.
Paul, who is “sure” Jay is somewhere up on the mountainside, says he’s spoken to the family. “They’re so incredibly lovely, they just want to find Jay and I want to help them,” he told the Daily Mail. “They keep offering to pay for my food and lodging but I always say no.
“I don’t want anything and I don’t want anything from the GoFundMe page.” What I’m interested in is setting up a separate fund to pay for the Scottish Mountain Rescue team’s travel costs.” A GoFundMe page set up for the family by Jay’s girlfriend Lucy Law has raised more than 47,000 donations so far.
Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, was travelling to the island when the search took place, and said the funds raised online would be used to support the mountain rescue team and to cover her own accommodation and food costs.