Jay Slater missing – latest: Mother gives GoFundMe update as police search caves near teen’s last location

Debbie Duncan vowed her son’s loved ones will not lose hope and will return home with him

Jay Slater’s father makes six-word plea to son at visit to site of search

Jay Slater’s mother has issued an update on the fundraiser that was launched to help find her missing son as the search for him in Tenerife continues for a twelfth day.

Debbie Duncan, 55, announced on Thursday that she is withdrawing some of the money raised in the GoFundMe to put towards the search efforts.

The development comes as the search for the missing teen was concentrated on a ravine further along the national park, with caves near Los Carrizales being searched as part of the investigation- about an hour and a half walk from the Airbnb where he stayed with two men.

Earlier this week, local mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Jose Navarro, said police have spoken to several people who believe they may have seen the 19-year-old watching Euro 2024 matches after his last contact with friends.

The 19-year-old from Lancashire has not been heard from since 17 June, when he contacted a friend shortly after 8am to say he was lost in the Rural de Teno park and had only one per cent phone battery.

Key Points

• Jay Slater’s mother announces she is withdrawing money from fundraiser
• Caves being searched as focus moves further along national park
• GoFundMe page for Jay Slater raises over £40,000
• On the ground with the desperate search for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife
• Family ‘utterly broken’ but mission remains to find Jay Slater alive
• Social media sleuths urged to ‘think before you post'

[28 June 2024 09:13 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Jay Slater’s family still hopeful he will return to them, private detective says

Jay Slater’s family are still hopeful that the missing British teenager will return after disappearing in Tenerife, a private investigator has said.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, 26 June, Mark Williams-Thomas said the 19-year-old’s family members have been putting up pictures and posters around the island and are responding to as many enquiries as they can.

“They still live with the hope that Jay will return and that he is not safe but still alive,” Mr Williams-Thomas said.

It came as the search for Mr Slater entered its second week.

The teenager, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus and was last heard from on Monday last week.

[28 June 2024 08:42 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Caves being searched as focus moves further along national park

Our reporter Holly Evans is at the scene in Tenerife:

On Thursday, the search was concentrated on a ravine further along the national park, with caves near Los Carrizales being searched as part of the investigation.

Only four police cars and a team of officers have been visible so far, at a location that is about an hour and a half walk from the AirBnb where he stayed with two men.

This is the valley they were searching in on Thursday:

(The Independent)

[28 June 2024 07:55 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

GoFundMe page for Jay Slater raises over £40,000

A fundraiser launched to help find Jay Slater has now surpassed £40,000 as the search for the missing teenager enters its twelfth day.

Over 3,500 people have donated to the GoFundMe page since it was set up over a week ago by the 19-year-old’s friend.

On Thursday, Mr Slater’s mother announced that she is withdrawing some of the money raised to put towards the search efforts.

Debbie Duncan, 55, vowed they will not lose hope and will return home with him.

[28 June 2024 07:33 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Mother of son missing for weeks in Bristol ‘feels desperately sorry’ for Jay Slater’s family

The mother of a young man who went missing in Bristol has called for renewed attention on her son’s case amid the disappearance of Jay Slater.

Jack O’Sullivan, 23, was last seen more than 17 weeks ago after walking home from a night out with friends on 2 March, in a case mirroring that of Mr Slater, 19, who vanished in the early hours after partying in Tenerife.

Family and friends are attempting to keep Mr O’Sullivan’s story in the public eye by launching their own website, fundraising, and changing their Facebook profile pictures to his missing poster.

[28 June 2024 07:00 · Athena Stavrou]

A glimmer of hope for Jay Slater’s family - an Irish tourist who was found after vanishing in Tenerife

The family of missing Jay Slater are sick with worry about their son - but are still holding out hope he may be found alive after disappearing in Tenerife.

But the story of an Irish tourist who also vanished on the Spanish island last year to be found alive a few days later suggests all may not be lost in the missing person search for Mr Slater.

Reports from last year tell of how Ryan Cooney, who was aged 28 at the time, was last seen leaving his hotel Paraiso del Sol apartments in Playa de las Americas on 9 November 2023.

The Independent’s Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

[28 June 2024 06:00 · Athena Stavrou]

TikTok explorer says he is meeting with Jay Slater’s family

Paul Arnott, 29, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids is among those who has been searching for Jay Slater after he disappeared last Monday. Since being in Tenerife, he has posted 66 videos with each racking up hundreds of thousands of views.

His efforts have attracted the interest of the teenager’s family, who have reportedly contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.

“I’m meeting the family today,” he told the Telegraph. “I’ve been speaking with Brad’s mum, Rachel. They wanted to bring me food but I said no.

“They said they wanted to meet me. They said they’re really proud of what I’m doing.”

[28 June 2024 05:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Trolls making our nightmare worse, says family friend

The mother of Jay Slater’s best friend has told the BBC that a deluge of online trolling has added to their “living nightmare”.

Rachel Hargreaves, 34, who is in Tenerife with Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, is the mother of Brad, who travelled to the Canary Islands with Mr Slater.

Ms Hargreaves, a chef from Accrington in Lancashire, said a troll even impersonated her late mother, who died eight months ago.

“The picture of my mum is an old one but it was on my Facebook and somehow they have got their hands on it,” she said.

“We’re living the worst nightmare you can live and this does not help. I’m a strong person and that affected me. Things don’t normally get to me.”

[28 June 2024 04:00 · Athena Stavrou]

‘There isn’t much here’: Exploring the isolated Tenerife landscape of Jay Slater’s last known location

As the desperate search for missing British teenager Jay Slater continues, The Independent’s Holly Evans has travelled to Tenerife to bring readers the latest in the ongoing investigation.

The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared in Tenerife over a week ago following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.

He had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance.

The location where Mr Slater’s phone pinged last Monday (17 June) is in an area of difficult terrain, with a narrow path and dramatic drops into the mountains.

[28 June 2024 03:00 · Athena Stavrou]

The nightclub where Jay Slater spent his last evening before disappearing

Holly Evans reports live from Tenerife:

Located on Veronica’s Strip in Playa de Las Americas, the nightclub where Jay Slater spent his evening before going missing stands at the end of a long run of busy bars.

The majority of them open until 5am, they are currently inundated with British teenagers celebrating their A-Levels, with cheap drinks and package spirit deals available all down the street.

Drugs are easily accessible, with groups selling Class A, cannabis and balloons along the pavement.

(Holly Evans )

[28 June 2024 02:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Spanish locals know little about Jay Slater disappearance

Holly Evans reports from the scene in Tenerife:

Despite the interest among British press and tourists, Spanish locals appear to know very little about the disappearance. While Jay Slater’s photo has been plastered onto ATMs and bus stops, the Spanish police have made very few comments on the case and not much is known about the progression of the investigation.

While a group of British people from Manchester on holiday told The Independent last night that they had been checking the Facebook group chats daily, locals appear confused by the press attention.

Adela, a cafe worker in the tourist area of Los Cristianos, shook her head and simply said: “People always get lost in the mountains if they’re not careful, it just happens.”