Jay Slater told pals he'd 'stolen' £12k Rolex in last message before disappearance

Jay Slater, a 19 year old lad from Oswaldtwistle, reportedly bragged to his mates on Snapchat about nicking a £12k Rolex watch the night before he mysteriously vanished while on holiday in Tenerife. Despite extensive search operations over the past 17 days, Jay's whereabouts remain a mystery.

Recent revelations have shed light on Jay's last known movements. Initially, eyebrows were raised over claims that a man had his Rolex pinched on one of the island's bar strips on the night of Sunday, June 16.

While it wasn't immediately clear whether this was linked to Jay's disappearance, top Brit detective Mark Williams-Thomas seems to have confirmed the connection.

READ MORE: Man who let Jay Slater stay at Airbnb breaks silence saying 'he left alive'

Mr Williams-Thomas, who has investigated numerous high-profile missing persons cases, jetted out to Tenerife last week to assist Jay's family in their quest for answers. He has now unveiled previously undisclosed details about Jay's activities prior to his disappearance, as reported by The Mirror.

The seasoned detective stated that he had 'spoken to a significant number of witnesses, both here in the UK and in Tenerife, including Jay's friends who are fully engaged with us', reports the Express.

Mark Smith took to social media on Wednesday, as he appealed for the public to refrain from harmful speculation amid new details emerging about his missing brother Jay. He said: "We know that shortly before 6am on Monday the seventh of June, Jay left the area of Veronica Strip in [Playa de] Las Americas in a Seat Leon hire car with two males casually known to him."

"Jay and a number of his friends had spent time with them both over the previous two days. All three males including Jay travelled north by the main motorway, the TF1, to go to the two males' holiday rental, Casa de Abuela Tina, which was about an hour's drive away."

"On route, Jay posted a Snapchat saying he had stolen a £12,000 Rolex from a person. We've been unable to validate this in terms of reporting. However, friends of Jay said he would not make this up and the watch was subject to later conversation between the friends."

The disappearance of Jay Smith resulted in a halted search on Sunday, June 30, after exhaustive efforts over two weeks turned up no significant clues, however, sources confirm. Despite this, the Civil Guard remains active on the case, committed to following up on any leads or tip-offs regarding Jay's fate.

Mark disclosed that after returning to the AirBnb, Jay had been in touch with three individuals and snapped various photos, including a Snapchat image showing him holding a cigarette on the cottage's doorstep. "I am confident that the photo on the doorstep is him, wearing a throw from the apartment and black and green Air Max trainers which he had on, on the night he went out."

The detective asserted that Jay had fled the premises feeling "scared" and was reluctant to return to charge his phone or wait for a bus. "We've received information that would suggest Jay left the rental property feeling scared," stated Mark.

"He would not return to the rental even though that would have been the most sensible course of action. We continue to investigate this aspect".

Although the circumstances surrounding what ensued at the rental remain murky, the investigator confirmed they have dismissed certain theories. He elaborated: "We have however ruled out hostage/kidnapping situation because no credible ransom demand has been made and we've no evidence at this stage to say there was a third party criminal involvement in Jay's disappearance."

He continued with an appeal: "I want to make an appeal for landowners in the area of the rural park to check any outbuildings and land that they have in the hope that further searches will continue by volunteers in the area not yet searched."