Jay Slater's dad asks three key questions as family launch independent search for missing teen

Jay Slater's father has posed three crucial questions regarding his son's mysterious vanishing as the family spearheads an independent quest to find the missing teenager. The Slater family arrived in Tenerife a day after Jay was reported missing by his friends on June 16, and they have stayed there continuously, even after Spanish authorities called off the official search.

They've backed independent search teams who came to assist following the surge of global interest, hoping to uncover new information that could explain what happened. Warren Slater, Jay's father, has been meticulously searching the area where his son was last seen nearly a month ago, raising significant queries that the Guardia Civil's investigation did not answer.

Why would anyone would choose to walk the cactus-strewn valley route?

Scrutinising the valley where his son's phone signal was last detected, Warren expressed his bafflement at the choice to navigate such a challenging terrain when a more accessible path was available. He remarked: "All I'm thinking is common sense, would you try and walk through there.", reports the Mirror.

"Where we've been today you can see there's a hikers path with proper stones. We've gone straight down and you end up in the village."

Additionally, he questioned how Jay could have passed through the expansive, rugged yet flat landscape without being spotted by locals or fellow holidaymakers.

Why was Jay not seen in the area?

The father questioned why his son was not spotted as he walked from their Airbnb near Masca, a small town in northern Tenerife, on the day he disappeared. He speculated that his "fit" son could have reached a local cafe after reportedly leaving the rental property in search of food.

He said: "From the bnb, he's a fit lad, 25 minutes you can get to the top, to where the cafe is. If he's followed the road and been where we've been today, it's took him an hour and a half."

The distraught father has been distributing missing person posters around the village of Santiago del Teide and retracing what are believed to be his son's last known movements.

Why wasn't he given a lift by a passing car?

Warren also queried whether his son was noticed by motorists as he embarked on the estimated 11-hour walk back to his accommodation. He noted that he had "never seen as many cars" on the route as when he attempted to follow his son's path.

He added:" Dozens of cars would have gone past him. We got here at 9am and the 10am bus passed us. And it would have passed him. I've been up here three weeks and I've never seen as many cars."