Tenerife locals warn Jay Slater 'could be missing for months' despite ongoing search

Locals in Tenerife say it may take months before any trace of Jay Slater is discovered despite Spanish cops vowing not to give up on their search. A major operation headed by Spain's Guardia Civil have seen huge resources committed to scanning the remote terrain for the last 12 days after the 19-year-old disappeared.

He was last seen in a remote area close to the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, after telling friends he was going to walk back to his accommodation in the south of the island on June 17, reports the Mirror. Speaking outside a cafe in Masca, locals told The Independent how similar disappearances have happened in the area before.

One local woman, identified only by her first name, Anita, said: “We often have hikers go missing, every summer it is the same. Police come for a week and search and then they go – sometimes it can take months for a body to be found as the mountains are too difficult to search.

“People have said there was a sighting of him here, but no one knows anything – his family came here but there’s nothing to show he is here, as far as I know, no shop or cafe has seen him.”

It has been reported Jay is "unlikely" to be found alive if he got lost in the treacherous Tenerife mountains but police say they committed to the search.

Speaking on Day 11 of the search, a police spokesman said: "The Civil Guard is continuing to search for the young British man who disappeared, carrying out inspections of all the paths, trails and ravines belonging to the village of Masca within the municipality of Buenavista del Norte."

On Wednesday, the force released footage showing officers moving on foot in a mountainous area of the island. A well-placed source told the Mirror: "No one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end, even though it's very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains in the way we were told he did.

"There will be a point when the operation that's taking place at the moment has to at least be scaled back but right now the search teams appear to have decided they want to give themselves more time."

Jay's mum Debbie Duncan revealed yesterday she has withdrawn some of the money donated via an online fundraiser that would be plunged into the desperate mountain rescue search efforts. The Get Jay Slater home GoFundMe appeal has rocketed past its original £30,000 by more than £8,000.

In her own update on the page, heartbroken mother Debbie said: "We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held. I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay."

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