Jay Slater search expert finds 'new clue' which may have been missed in hunt to find teenager

An expert involved in the search for Jay Slater has reportedly discovered a new "clue" and suggests a distressing reason why the official search teams might have overlooked the teenager.

The 19-year-old's relatives are now relying on specialist volunteers after Spanish authorities called off their search. Despite a thorough two-week effort in Parque Rural de Teno near Masca village in Tenerife, where Jay was last known to have booked an Airbnb, a Civil Guard spokesperson confirmed: "The search operation has now finished although the case remains open."

It has been three weeks since Jay vanished on the morning of June 17, with his father Warren Slater, mother Debbie Duncan, and elder brother Zak receiving support from skilled experts in the area, reports the Manchester Evening News.

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Christopher Pennington, a former member of the British military who moved to Tenerife in 2006 is one who has offered his help. Chris criticised the police for merely "sticking to the paths". He said:. "This area has not been searched properly". He claimed to have stumbled on a "new clue" while searching Parque Rural de Teno, where efforts have been concentrated since the young apprentice bricklayer went missing. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

The British ex-reservist claimed he found a pair of sunglasses with one lens missing, eerily similar to those the 19 year old was last seen wearing at the NRG festival before his disappearance. The glasses were found near the area where the teen's phone signal had last been detected.

Chris promptly turned the sunglasses over to the authorities, and they are now retained as part of the police investigation. TV sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas is also involved in the search for Jay, revealing that he has spoken to Ayub Qassim, 31, also known as 'Jonny Vegas', who was one of the last people to see the teenager. Qassim, who drove Jay to the remote holiday home, has reportedly shared details of their trip.

The Mirror reports that, to better understand Jay's last known movements, Chris retraced the route from the popular coastal nightlife area to the Airbnb where the teen stayed, driving north from Papagayo nightclub to Casa Abuela Tina in Masca at 5.30am on Saturday. He told Mail+ that he kept his speed below 15km per hour due to the treacherous hairpin bends.

Describing the conditions, he said: "It's dark, it's extremely dangerous," and added, "Let me be frank, it's scary up here on your own in the darkness." Chris suspects that Jay, in a rush to leave the rental property, might have mistakenly headed down the ravine under the impression that the coast was nearer than it actually was.

He has identified what he believes are the 'most sensible' areas to search, pinpointing the exact geolocation of Jay's last phone signal. Venturing into the thickets near where he found the sunglasses, Chris described the difficulty of navigating the dense, thorny undergrowth.

With his hands nicked and scratched, he confessed that visibility was limited to barely two metres in front of him. Soaked with perspiration in the intense heat, he remarked: "You can only imagine that he's looked down at the coastline in the distance and thinks it's a lot closer than it really is. And that heading straight through the bush is the quickest route to safety."

Yet, after detouring off-road into the surrounding brush, Chris pondered why the teenager wouldn't opt to revert back to the safer path. "If Jay came off the path and went through there, like I've just done, he wouldn't leave the path again. You'd have to be mad."

Joining the search efforts alongside Warren and Zak is Juan Garcia, 53, who, along with his four year old sniffer dog Caperucita, has been scouring the area. Commenting on the daunting terrain, he grimly informed the Mail that it would be nearly impossible for aerial search teams to spot anything.

"It's a labyrinth of bushes and you can't see much from the air. We really are looking for a needle in a haystack," he said.

Before he vanished, Jay phoned his friend Lucy Law, who he was staying with in the south of the island, to say he was trying to return to their hotel but his phone battery was nearly dead. Lucy recounted that he mentioned being "thirsty" and lost.

Additionally, she revealed that Jay had been injured by a cactus. Meanwhile, Bradley Hargreaves, another friend, recalled hearing Jay fall during the call.

Speaking on This Morning, an emotional Brad, aged 19, remembered Jay's love for life and the last words he said, promising to call back after hanging up because "someone else ringing him".

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