Jay Slater latest with 6 key questions that are confusing family and investigators

The relentless search for missing British teenager Jay Slater has entered its second week, with rescue teams persistently combing the mountains in the north west of the island.

Jay, 19, from Lancashire, was reported missing on June 17 while holidaying with friends. He attended the NRG rave at the Playa de las Americas resort, before reportedly journeying over 30km to stay in the rural village of Masca with two men he had met.

Since his phone reportedly died in the middle of a vast ravine, no one has seen or heard from him, with extensive efforts ongoing across the 'treacherous' Rural de Teno Park and significant police enquiries underway.

Read more: Public urged to call 999 if they see wanted man as search launched

However, six key questions about the case continue to baffle friends, family and leading investigators, reports the Manchester Evening News (M. E. N).

Why did no one see Jay on the morning he disappeared?

It's reported that the British teenager walked off alone, uphill into the mountains of the Rural de Teno Park on June 17, after staying at a remote Airbnb with two men he is understood to have met at the NRG music festival.

He stayed in the village of Masca - approximately 30km away from Los Cristianos, the resort where he had been holidaying with friends in the south of the island. The owner of the Airbnb told the M. E. N that Jay 'walked off alone' and uphill, in the wrong direction. She mentioned she informed him that a bus out of the village would be two hours.

Jay's parents, Warren and Debbie, are struggling to understand how their son went unnoticed on the morning he disappeared, given that Masca is a bustling tourist destination known for its breathtaking views of the peaks and the North Atlantic Ocean. The area attracts numerous visitors daily, either self-driven or via travel tours.

The location where Jay's phone last signalled, at around 8:50 am on the day he vanished, is adjacent to a sought-after mountain viewpoint, where parking spaces are typically occupied by 10 am each day. Additionally, there are several cafes and bars just a short stroll away.

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Speaking to the M. E. N, Jay's father expressed his bewilderment: "There are people up there... you don't go along that road for more than 20 minutes without somebody stopping you or passing you."

Why did Jay spend the night in the remote village of Masca before his disappearance?

Masca is a small settlement with a population of roughly 90 residents, tucked away from the usual tourist paths. Accommodation options are scarce, with only three hotels located in the vicinity.

Bar staff in the resort of Playa de las Americas have told the M. E. N that tourists seldom stay there if they're partying in the south of the island, describing it as a hotspot for hikers but 'dangerous' for the inexperienced.

Search teams are combing through the mountainous and 'treacherous' terrain, raising questions about why Jay chose to stay there. The location is over 30km from Los Cristianos, the resort where he was staying with friends.

The journey between the two locations can take anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes, costing more than 100 euros by taxi, and involves navigating challenging, steep roads that run alongside a towering cliff edge.

Why Jay didn't wait for the bus on the morning he disappeared?

Police are also investigating why Jay chose to walk alone through the mountains instead of waiting for the bus on the morning he went missing.

According to reports, Jay decided against waiting two hours for a bus that would have taken him back into town. Ophelia Hernandez, the owner of the Airbnb where he was staying, said she saw the teenager at around 8am at a bus stop just outside the village of Masca.

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She stated that he had enquired about buses back to Los Cristianos and she informed him that it would arrive at 10am.

Instead of returning directly, he allegedly headed further uphill to the north of the island following the solitary route in the area, informing a friend that he would undertake the considerable walk back to their accommodation. This hike was estimated to take a staggering 11 hours and extended over 30km in distance.

Who were the mysterious men he stayed with - And why did he leave his friends?

One crucial uncertainty lingering over the case is the identities of the two unknown men Jay left the festival with. The question of why he opted to accompany them to Masca, leaving his friends behind the night prior to his disappearance, is also unexplained.

Very little information exists about these two individuals, believed to be British nationals, who had secured an Airbnb booking in the secluded village within Rural de Teno Park.

A single account was shared by an individual named only as Araceli, a worker at the business located next to the rented property.

She stated: "I never saw the missing boy, but I know people saw him walking on his own. I saw the two British men who stayed here. They came in for cafe con leche a couple of times. One was aged about 40. The other one was slightly younger.

"The police have spoken to them both. They arrived on Saturday and we're due to stay until Monday, but they left on Tuesday."

Could a third party have played a part?

The distraught family members of Jay have continuously speculated on the potential involvement of a third entity in his disappearance. They are grappling with the reality of him vanishing single-handedly in the rural mountains of Masca.

Prominent TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas, who has since travelled to the Spanish island to 'get answers for Jay's family', has said he will determine if there was any third party involvement and reveal the identity of the unknown men 'in three days'.

While police have not yet confirmed any third-party involvement in Jay's disappearance, his parents Debbie and Warren fear he may have been abducted, or that someone would have seen him on the day he disappeared.

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"You think, has somebody got him? Because no matter if you were drunk or whatever, you don't go off that road up there," Warren previously told the M. E.N.

A distraught Debbie previously told the Daily Mail: "If he's got himself mixed up with any trouble, just let him go, just let him go."

The Civil Guard has stated they are keeping an open mind and pursuing every possible lead in the case as the major search continues.

Was the other CCTV sighting really missing Jay?

CCTV footage of a man strolling through a church square in the village of Santiago del Teide around 6pm on Monday - the evening of the day Jay went missing - has been circulated by his family and friends.

They believe it could possibly be him, and claimed that the Civil Guard are investigating it. The village where the footage was taken is approximately 7km away from the Airbnb Jay is believed to have stayed at the night before he disappeared.

The footage reveals a man, who according to Jay's father bears a resemblance in height and build to his son, strolling past one of the numerous cameras in the vicinity. Tenerife police have yet to confirm whether this lead is being considered as a plausible line of inquiry.