The search for Jay Slater is now on the cusp of its tenth day, with a massive coordinated effort now ongoing to locate the missing teen involving multiple agencies' unofficial investigators, friends and family members.
Jay, 19, went missing last week after attending a rave festival in Tenerife and has not been heard from since he returned from the event with two British men. The trainee bricklayer had stayed with the men at a secluded Airbnb Casa Abuela Tina, just outside the village of Masca, to the island's northwest.
He was last heard from after he missed a bus the following morning and told friends he would brave the roughly 11-hour walk back to his accommodation. The search and rescue mission launched not long after and has grown to involve a gallery of local officials, with civilians also contributing to the efforts.
Lucy Law was the last person to hear from Jay (facebook)Jay Slater's friends
Jay's friends were the first people to notice the teenager had gone missing missing last week, having attended the New Generation Rave festival alongside him the day before his disappearance. He had landed in Tenerife and was staying with two other people - Lucy Law and another friend named Brad - in shared accommodation. Lucy was the last person to hear from him at around 8am on Monday.
She said he had called to tell her he was lost, dehydrated, and had one per cent of his phone battery left before the call dropped out. He has neither been seen or heard from since, and Lucy said she has since joined search efforts. While she has joined the search, she has claimed police involved in the operation for "not doing a good enough job", and complained the process has been slow and hampered by the language barrier.
Body of boy, 5, missing for three months recovered from fast-flowing river
Jay's mum, dad and brother have joined the search efforts (Stan Kujawa)Spanish police and emergency services
Lucy reported Jay missing on June 18, and local Spanish police quickly marshalled officers for a comprehensive search effort the same day, with mountain rescue teams also joining the hunt in the rugged Tenerife countryside. Lucy said she was alongside police looking around nearby mountains.
The search evolved on June 19 to include a much more coordinated effort with Guardia Civil now in charge of the operation, which has grown to also involve firefighters and volunteers. The unified effort has seen rescue personnel employ dogs, drones and helicopters to scour the area.
The Airbnb where Jay stayed before he went missing (PA)Jay Slater's family
Jay's family touched down in Tenerife soon after he was reported missing, with his mum, Debbie, the first to arrive alongside his brother Zak. Jay's father, Warren, has since joined, and they have issued pleas for the teenager to be returned safely both as a unit and independently.
Warren has had mixed words about the police effort, both praising and criticising officers for their work. The dad added said communication has been an issue as the search continues.
He told reporters: "Nobody's told us - the mountain police brilliant, but I don't know how the other police [force] works. They could be doing everything but if they are doing [something], they're not telling us what they're doing, if you understand what I'm saying."
The two men staying at the Airbnb
Jay was staying at an Airbnb with two men before he went missing last week, who have since left the country after speaking with police. Spanish police have said they have the names and passport details of both men, but neither has been accused of any wrongdoing.
Mark Williams-Thomas
Former British cop Mark Williams-Thomas is in Tenerife helping the family of the missing teenager.
The experienced investigator, who has probed a string of high-profile missing persons cases, including Nicola Bulley's disappearance, was today spotted on the island where the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer was last seen. He had reached out to Jay's mother Debbie Duncan, 55, on Sunday offering his help and is now working for them, free of charge, to find out what has happened to their son.
Speaking before the family accepted his help, Mr Williams-Thomas had said he believed he could get answers for them within just three days. He also vowed to "track down" the two British men that Jay is said to have stayed with at a holiday rental the night before he vanished.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
