Yahoo News Mum of missing Jay Slater fears he's been 'taken against his will' in Tenerife
The mother of a British teenager who has mysteriously vanished in Tenerife is gripped by the harrowing belief that her son could have been 'taken against his will'.
The search to find Jay Slater, 19, is continuing this evening after he disappeared without a trace on the Spanish Canary island on Monday (June 17).
His mum Debbie Duncan, took an urgent flight out to Tenerife, consumed by concern for her son, whom she suspects may have been 'taken'. Speaking to PA news agency, Debbie disclosed: "It's just traumatic and it doesn't feel real. It's just awful, it's horrendous. I think he's been taken against his will with what's been said, but it's in the hands of the police."
READ: Police knock on door of missing teen's home at 2am and tell mum 'go to Tenerife' Jay Slater had been on his first holiday abroad without his parents earlier this month, jetting off to Tenerife with friends Lucy and Brad to attend a music festival
READ: 'Every mum's worst nightmare' as missing teen may have travelled through Stoke-on-Trent Donna Duffy has said she is 'worried sick' after her son Dillon was last seen on Tuesday morning - with the family now appealing for information on his whereabouts
Jay had jetted off to Tenerife with a couple of mates for the three-day NRG music festival.
However, last Sunday night saw Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, choose to continue the revelry with some newly found acquaintances while his friends returned to their accommodation. He ended up crashing at these new friends' apartment, which he later described as being 'in the middle of nowhere'.
Employed as an apprentice bricklayer, Jay's most recent contact was on Monday morning. He rang up his holiday companion, Lucy Mae, around 8.15am, stating intentions to trek back to his own place from the daunting terrain of Rural de Teno Park after missing his bus - a hefty journey anticipated to last about 11 hours by foot. Since that call.
Debbie added: "He's just a great person who everyone wanted to be with. He's good looking, he's a popular boy."
Jay's friend, previously informed the Manchester Evening News that she received a call from Jay on Monday morning. He told her his phone was about to die, he needed a drink of water and was clueless about his location after spending the night in a flat with people he met during a night out.
Jay's phone then disconnected, with his last known location being the Rural de Teno park a mountainous region frequented by hikers.
Today, Lucy described his disappearance as 'weird' and stated her friend 'was not stupid'. She expressed surprise that no one had seen him in the area, popular among hikers, over the past two days.
Speaking from Tenerife, Lucy has now claimed Spanish police have said they are 'keeping an open mind' as they continue their investigation into his disappearance and search for him in the Rural de Teno park - a mountainous region frequented by hikers near the village of Masca.
Speaking just before 11am today, a Civil Guard spokeswoman in Tenerife confirmed officers were working to 'investigate all the possibilities'. "We are still searching for the missing man", the spokeswoman stated.
The search for the missing Brit has intensified, with the Civil Guard joining forces with firefighters and Civil Protection workers who are deploying drones in a concerted effort to locate him. A Snapchat video that captured Jay in high spirits the evening before his disappearance has surfaced online.
He was last seen donning a white T-shirt paired with shorts and trainers.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has issued a statement: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."
