Jay Slater 'possible last sighting' emerges as family share image

The loved ones of a British teenager who has gone missing in Tenerife have circulated an image of a 'possible sighting' of the young man as the frantic search for him continues. The hunt for Jay Slater is now in its second week after the 19-year-old was reported missing by his companions on the Spanish island last Monday.

The teen is said to have wandered off alone into a mountainous region in the Rural de Teno Park, near the village of Masca, after departing from an Airbnb rental flat where he had been staying with two acquaintances he met at the NRG music festival. Emergency searches, involving Civil Guard officers, firefighters, and mountain rescue teams have been ongoing in the vast area since his disappearance. Jay's family and friends now believe there may have been a 'possible sighting' of him in the village of Santiago del Teide, which is approximately 7km from Masca.

His family and friends said the image seemed to depict a male walking past a church in the village around 6pm on Monday – roughly 10 hours after he was reportedly last contacted. They believe the blurry image could potentially resemble Jay, reports the Manchester Evening News. The Civil Guard has not directly confirmed whether or not the possible sighting is being investigated.

Family friend Rachel Hargreaves said police were investigating "every lead". Speaking from the village of Santiago del Teide on Sunday Warren, Jay's father, shared his concerns about the disappearance: "You think: 'Has somebody got him?' Because no matter if you were drunk or whatever, you don't go off that road up there... And there are people up there.... You don't go along that road for more than 20 minutes without somebody stopping you or passing you.

"I knew right from when I went up there that he wouldn't have gone [off that road]. He isn't stupid. When I saw the police I asked them: 'Seriously, would you go off that road? ' and I think it woke them up a bit.

"It started out as it being a lad who had gone walking and got lost or that he may have fallen. But it doesn't make sense. Nobody would walk off that road. Why would he have gone uphill?.

"It's dangerous – it's a massive mountain. It's not just a hill. It was only when I went up there myself [that I noticed]. People that go out to a party don't come up here."

Meanwhile a fundraising appeal set up by Jay's friend Lucy has reached its £30,000 target. The fundraiser was created three days ago and received the family's approval. A statement from the fundraising page read: "We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves. The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page."

Jay's mother Debbie Duncan has also spoken out and said she's been unable to sleep since her son's disappearance. She expressed uncertainty over whether the Spanish authorities' refusal of UK assistance was perceived as "an insult".

Detailing the family's struggle Ms Duncan said: "I'm not coping very well at all. I've not slept – I'm exhausted. It's been awful. I can't give up on him, I just can't."

Sunday marked a full week since the intensive search began involving drones, helicopters, firefighters, search dogs, and mountain rescue teams all joining forces in the hope of finding Jay. Efforts intensified around a small hut where the last signal from Jay's phone was detected. Search operations have concentrated on a 30km radius with particular attention to Masca Gorge, La Vica, Las Portelas, and the broader Masca region.