Jay Slater's mum speaks of 'normal' and 'popular' apprentice son as search in Tenerife ends

The mother of 19 year old Jay Slater has expressed the family's heartbreak over the loss of "our beautiful boy" following his unexplained disappearance in Tenerife.

Jay last made contact on June 17, when he texted his friend Lucy Law to inform her of his plans to hike back to the south of the island from Masca, where he had been residing at an Airbnb. His phone battery died shortly after.

Despite a comprehensive search by Spanish authorities, efforts were suspended last Sunday with Jay still unaccounted for. Debbie Duncan, Jay's mother, has now spoken out since the conclusion of the search.

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"My son, Jay Dean Slater, arrived on the holiday island of Tenerife on the 13th of June with his friend to attend a music festival. On the 17th of June after failing to return to his apartment he was reported as a missing person. Jay is a regular lad who is in his 3rd year of an apprenticeship, and he is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends," Debbie communicated via LBT Global, a charity assisting the families of missing persons overseas.

"We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him," reports Chronicle Live.

Debbie praised the Spanish police for their investigation, which she confirmed is still ongoing in its quest for answers regarding her son's whereabouts.

Debbie said: "We do not have any information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced. They conducted a land search for 12 days which involved every resource they had available. Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation."

Debbie continued by saying: "We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of enquiries. We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay's disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press."

She added: "We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family. We also embrace the love and support we have received from across the globe. It has not gone unnoticed, especially his home town in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this present time."

Debbie, along with other family members, journeyed to the island as the search was underway. A GoFundMe page, established by Jay's friend Lucy Law, has so far amassed over £47,000 for his family. Debbie explained that the money raised online would go towards supporting mountain rescue teams, as well as covering accommodation and food costs.

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