Jay Slater's loved ones say they 'will be staying out here and doing all we can to find Jay'

Jay Slater's dad Warren and Jay's brother Zak at the search site yesterday (June 29)
-Credit: (Image: MEN)


Jay Slater's loved ones have said they will not stop looking for the missing teenager, despite the search being called off.

A friend of the family, Rachel Hargreave said that those who had flown out to help in the search were 'still going to keep searching'.

It comes as police announced they were bringing their search near the mountain village of Masca to an end. However, they added that the case 'remains open', awaiting any further information that may lead to find Jay.

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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Rachel showed strength on behalf of those who have flown out here. She said: "We will be staying out here and doing all we can to find Jay."

Rachel Hargreaves is the mum of Brad Hargreaves, a close friend who was partying with Jay at the three-day NRG festival in Tenerife before Jay's disappearance.

She flew out, along with other friends and family, to support the family, including mum, Debbie, dad, Warren, and Jay's brother, Zak. According to the Spanish police, the group has been integral to the investigation into Jay's disappearance.

The Civil Guard today said the near fortnight-long search, which has involved sniffer dogs, a helicopter and mountain rescue experts, had been brought to an end. They said officers would continue to act on any tip-offs or other information that came in - but the active work that has been ongoing since June 17 when the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer was reported missing would now cease.

Confirmation of the dramatic development came less than 24 hours after a ‘last push’ operation involving around 30 police, firefighters and Civil Protection along with a handful of volunteers, failed to find any trace of the 19-year-old from Lancashire.

A Civil Guard spokeswoman said today: “The search operation has now finished although the case remains open.”

The Manchester Evening News understands on the ground in Tenerife that the visible search that's been ongoing in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, near Masca, with helicopters, dogs, and emergency service workers has been called off completely.

But the parallel investigation is still ongoing, and police are not discussing what they are doing there. Jay's disappearance isn't necessarily crime-related, the M.E.N. understands, but the Civil Guard has said from the beginning of the search that they're keeping all options open.