When a young British man disappeared while vacationing on the Spanish island of Tenerife in mid-June, a familiar routine unfolded: search and rescue workers combing through the landscape, regular updates from tearful family members, a steady drumbeat of unconfirmed reports that he had been spotted. This weekend, the Spanish authorities called off their search for Jay Slater, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from England who was visiting Tenerife, a popular vacation destination. But even after the 14-day search officially ended, conspiracies and other theories have continued to spread online. “There’s a small minority that believes and engages with these things,” said Aleksandra Cichocka, a professor of political psychology at the University of Kent. “But they can be really disturbing to the family and the whole process of the investigation.”

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Persons: Jay Slater, “, ”, Aleksandra Cichocka Organizations: University of Kent Locations: British, Tenerife, England