Pal who partied with Jay Slater before he vanished issues update over 'death threats'

A friend of missing Jay Slater, who partied with the teenager before he vanished in Tenerife has been 'receiving death threats', his mum has revealed.

19-year-old Jay, from Lancashire, was reported missing over three weeks ago, on June 17, in the rural village of Masca. He had stayed at an Airbnb after partying at a festival in the Playa de las Americas resort the evening before - around 30km away.

Pal Brandon Hodgson, also 19, was previously pictured with his arm across Jay’s shoulders at a pool party during the second day of the NRG festival. But he is now being subjected to a ‘hate campaign’ on social media, his family have told the Mail Online.

READ MORE Jay Slater Tenerife search latest as specialist finds 'new clue' in hunt for missing teen

Speaking at the family home in Lancashire, Hodgson’s mother Natalie said the teenager was helping Spanish police and denied there would be plans for the 19-year-old to break his silence.

"He’s liaising with the police, and that’s all that matters," she told the publication. "He's got death threats and all sorts."

She added that the family were 'not interested' in whether members of the public wanted Brandon to share what he knew about Jay's final hours before he disappeared, and said she wanted to avoid a 'hate campaign' against the family.

Her comments come after Jay's heartbroken dad Warren, who is still in Tenerife along with mum Debbie and his older brother Zak, have made an urgent plea for help as they continue in their search.

On June 30, the Civil Guard called off the search on the ground. But on July 9, police insisted that several lines of enquiry were still being pursued.

Warren and Zak have been seen regularly visiting the area where Jay was last seen, conducting their own searches with the help of a small team.

Warren has continued to voice his frustration at the local police investigation, calling for British cops to get involved and help the family. Previously, he said: "We need to, as a full family, do a proper press conference and ask the British authorities to help. He’s a British citizen. Get Interpol involved.

"It’s just us. I haven’t got a team. We need a team to come over here and find out for us what the police are doing and what we need to do. Our hands are tied over here, we need experts. How long can you stay here for?"

Speaking to the Mirror on Thursday (July 11) Warren added: "We are still out looking. What more can we possibly do?

'I’ve said before, I need an army to help me. People don’t understand the vastness of it. I’d love to be able to fly a drone and sit here all day scouring the whole area."