Yahoo News Jay Slater missing in Tenerife - every clue, update and development so far in desperate search for teenager
An urgent search is continuing on the Spanish island of Tenerife for missing British teenager Jay Slater. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was reported missing by his friends on Monday (June 17). He had flown out to holiday on the island with pals for the NRG music festival but disappeared after going to stay with people he met after a night out.
His last spoke to his friend Lucy at around 8am on Monday, telling her that his phone was going to die, he needed a drink of water and had no idea where he was. His phone location last 'pinged' in the Rural de Teno park, close to a popular hiking route and the village of Masca.
Follow LIVE updates on the search for Jay here
A huge search is continuing today in Tenerife for the apprentice bricklayer. His mum Debbie, who is said to be 'in bits', has flown out to the island to help the search.
A Civil Guard spokeswoman in Tenerife said officers were working to 'investigate all the possibilities'. She confirmed that a large-scale search operation was ongoing, with the search today being moved to tourist hotspots in the south of the island.
Follow is a full breakdown of everything we know so far about Jay's disappearance and the search for him.
Jay reported missing by his friends in Tenerife on Monday
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, had flown out to Tenerife with friend Lucy and another pal for a holiday. The trio went to the NRG music festival last weekend - which is in the south of the island.
But on Sunday evening, the teenager stayed out with some new friends he had made while his pals went back to the hotel. He went to stay in their apartment in the north of the island - close to the Rural de Teno park.
On Monday morning, Jay phoned Lucy to tell her he had left the apartment and was trying to make his way back to where the group was staying. Unable to catch a bus, he said he had set off walking.
He told Lucy his phone was on 1% battery and that he needed a drink of water. He also said he had no idea where he was.
This was the last any of Jay's family or friends heard from him. He was then reported missing to Spanish police after his phone died.
Police confirm search underway with teams 'doing everything possible'
Spanish police yesterday said they were 'doing everything possible' to find Jay. The Civil Guard said a police helicopter was being used on Tuesday, with firefighters and mountain rescuers also involved in the search.
On Tuesday, the Civil Guard spokesperson said: "A specialist Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group called the Greim have been mobilised.
"A police helicopter is also out and focusing on the area around the village of Masca. Other emergency services including firefighters have also been mobilised.
"Everything possible is being done to try to find the missing man."
Foreign Office confirms officials are supporting the 19-year-old's family
The Foreign Office also confirmed on Tuesday that officials were supporting Jay's family. They added that they are in touch with the local authorities in Tenerife.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."
Teenager's mum - who is 'beside herself with worry' - flies out to Tenerife
Jay's mum Debbie flew out to the island on Tuesday to help with the search. She flew out with her eldest son Zak.
As she landed on the island, she said she was 'beside herself with worry'. Debbie said yesterday: “I’ve only been in Tenerife for about 10 minutes and I’ve just had a quick chat with someone from the British Embassy and am waiting for them to call back so I know a bit more.
"The consulate has been really good so far. I’m obviously beside myself with worry which is why I’ve flown out here with my eldest son to do anything we can to help.
"We’re just praying the police or someone finds Jay. I know there’s a mountain rescue team out and a helicopter.
"Nothing’s ever going to be enough when your youngest son’s gone missing but it sounds as if the police here are taking this very seriously and doing the best job they can."
Debbie added: "He’d been at a three-day festival so he would have consumed a fair bit of alcohol but Jay was snapchatting with friends before he went missing and seemed very compos mentis.
"I just think it was a question of him not knowing the island well enough because it was his first time here and being a bit disorientated when it came to distances and not realising it was a 10-hour walk from where he went missing to his holiday accommodation.
"I know the last place he spoke to his friend Lucy from was in the mountains and I think the police have got a more precise location now. I imagine they’re also speaking to the people whose place he went back to."
She added: “Once I’ve spoken to the British consulate again I’ll be clearer about what I’m going to do but I imagine we will head up north nearer the spot Jay was when he disappeared.”
Jay captured on Snapchat laughing and smiling night before going missing
A Snapchat clip revealed what the teenager was thought to be wearing the night before he went missing. The video, taken on Sunday night (June 16), showed Jay laughing and smiling the night before he vanished.
The clip was filmed at around 8.35pm in the Arona area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The clip was shared widely on social media, showing Jay wearing a grey sports top with a light green strip on the shoulders and a black bag.
Posting the clip in a Facebook group dedicated to finding Jay, a post by relative Isabelle Price read: "This is a clear video of what Jay was wearing the night he went missing. All of our family and friends are so worried, we're all just praying and hoping he gets found soon unharmed."
Search continues this morning with police 'keeping open mind'
This morning, searches were ongoing in the Rural de Teno park on the north of the island. Emergency crews were working on the search, as well as a large number of volunteers.
Some of Jay's loved ones, including his family who have flown out to Tenerife and his friends who he was on holiday with, also went out to search this morning. Speaking just before 11am today, a Civil Guard spokeswoman in Tenerife said officers were continuing to search an area called the Masca Gorge in the north of the island.
The spokeswoman added that officers were working to 'investigate all the possibilities'. "We are still searching for the missing man", the spokeswoman said.
"The search operation is being conducted by the Civil Guard and different units are participating. They include the helicopter unit, the cynological unit which uses dogs, the Greim mountain rescue and intervention unit and citizen security patrols.
"The helicopter unit has one helicopter which has been participating in the search since it began on Monday. We’re not going to talk about the number of officers involved but it’s a large operation.
"The focus area is the area where we were informed the missing man had disappeared which is the narrow valley within the Teno Massif called the Masca Gorge."
She added: "When there’s a disappearance police always look at all options and investigate all the possibilities. In this case no hypothesis has been ruled out as you’d expect at the start of any investigation."
Go Fund Me issues statement
GoFundMe issued a statement after several fundraisers were set up in Jay Slater's name. The organisation said earlier today that 'all campaigns are under review' and that no money will be transferred unless it is verified that the donations will go to his family.
A GoFundMe spokesperson said: "Our hearts go out to Jay Slater, his family and everyone else concerned about his disappearance. All campaigns are under review and no money will be transferred unless we can verify it goes straight to his family.
"At moments like this, we often see people set up campaigns to benefit strangers when they are moved to help. That is why we work with organisers to ensure any money donated goes to the right place.
"GoFundMe has a dedicated Trust & Safety team reviewing all relevant fundraisers. In addition to the team of experts, we deploy proprietary technical tools and have multiple processes in place to verify the identity of organizers and the recipient of the fundraiser.
"Before money is transferred, an individual or organization’s information, including their banking information, must be verified."
Jay's friend describes his disappearance as 'weird'
Lucy Mae, who was on holiday with Jay when he went missing, described his disappearance as 'weird' earlier today. Lucy said Jay was 'not stupid' and said she found it 'weird' how nobody had seen him in the two days since he was reported missing.
She said: "Jay's not stupid, it was just before 9am when he rang me so broad daylight and the area he was in is full of hikers. I’ve been up there every day ever since I got that phone call from Jay on Monday morning that made me panic and so many walkers and other people are up there.
"It’s secluded, but the spot where he last made phone contact with me is near a main road and he would have had the wherewithal to flag someone down, to wave someone down and ask for help. There’s something weird going on.
"In two days, you’re telling me someone’s not seen him? There’s a restaurant 10 minutes away that he would have seen or walked past.
"Fair enough it didn’t open for another two hours, but if that were me I would have sat and waited at the restaurant until it opened and as soon as it opened I would have said 'please can you put my phone on charge’ and then I would have rung someone, I would have rung a taxi. It’s weird."
Describing the last-known location where Jay's phone 'pinged', she said: "He was in the mountains but it was just off a main road so this is what I don’t understand. He’s not stupid, in my mind he’s not going to go off a main path and down a sheer drop or cliffs unless he’s been forced down by someone who could have been following him.
"I’ve been up there myself every day. There’s something not right. I’m really starting to think something’s going on because someone would have seen him by now. I’m sorry but it’s been 50 hours now. It’s so busy up there, there’s a lot of people around.
"That last location is like a viewpoint, it’s a five to ten minute walk to the nearest cafe. I’m sure there’s something going on. The police are not telling me anything and I don’t know much about the people Jay went back from the festival with but they definitely should be spoken to if they haven’t been interviewed already.
"I’d left the festival to come back to my hotel early because I was tired. Jay had stayed on with two new friends he’d made and a guy who we’d come with so there were four of them. I think those friends were British, although when I left the festival everyone was just mingling around. I took that last phone call from Jay around eight o’clock in the morning.
"I was asleep but I always sleep with my phone on ring in case there’s something wrong. He just said to me, ‘I need a drink, it’s really hot, I don’t know where I am and my phone’s going to die.
"I said, ‘If you’re ever going to listen to anything I’m going to say to you, it needs to be now. If you’re in the middle of nowhere with no water and no phone you’re going to be f****d so you need to turn around and go back to wherever you came from and get help.
"He’s like, ‘I can’t go back, I don’t know where I am’. But he sounded very distressed and I don’t know what’s going on and I’m thinking now whether he was just distressed because he had no water or because of something else.”
Jay's mum 'in bits' as she asks for privacy
Jay's mum Debbie was said to be 'in bits' today as she pleaded for privacy as she assists police with the search for her son. LancsLive spoke to Jay's step-dad Andy Watson from the family home in Lancashire earlier.
The 63-year-old said that Jay's mum Debbie had flown out to Tenerife with her eldest son Zak. He said that Debbie was 'in bits'.
He also confirmed that several more family members have flown out to the Spanish island to help in the search. He said that as of 10am today, Jay was still missing.
Andy also said that Debbie has pleaded for privacy. The press and volunteers have headed to the area of Teno National Park, where Jay's phone last 'pinged' his location, to report on and help with the search.
"She's in bits and asking for some privacy," Andy said. "Nothing has changed and more family are flying out this morning."
Search moves to south of Tenerife
In the latest update this afternoon, Spanish police said the search for Jay has been switched to tourist hotspots on the south of the island. Officers are searching in Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas - close to where Jay was staying with his two pals.
The search on the north of the island has been 'halted'. A spokesman for the Civil Guard said at 12.30pm local time: "The search operation has moved to the south of the island.
"The search areas are Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas." The spokesman wasn’t able to offer any more detail on the reason for the switch but added: "It’s obviously down to information that’s been received as the investigation has progressed.
"As things stand at the moment the search in the mountainous area near Masca in the north has been halted."
