Jay Slater missing – latest: Father hits out at online trolls as volunteers join Tenerife search for teenager

Spanish police haved called for volunteers as they carry out a new large-scale search in northern Tenerife

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

Jay Slater’s father and brother have joined search times in scouring the mountainside in Tenerife for the missing teenager, after Spanish police put out an appeal for volunteers.

Warren Slater told reporters: “We just still can’t believe it; it’s been so tough on us, and I want people to think about us as parents and what we are going through.

“All those trollers having a go at us, they don’t know how we feel, why don’t they come up here and have a look and see for themselves how dangerous it is.”

It comes as police have declared that the two British men who put up the missing British teenager the night before he disappeared are of “no relevance” to the investigation.

The 19-year-old vanished nearly two weeks ago near Buenavista del Norte, Tenerife, after travelling there with two men he had met at a festival around 27 miles further south on the island.

The teenager was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers, and his phone shows his last location as the Rural de Teno park at 8.50am on Monday 22 June.

Key Points

• Mystery British men of ‘no relevance’ to investigation
• Police ‘investigate stolen Rolex lead'
• ‘Massive search’ for missing teenager set to begin
• Friend says he could tell Jay Slater ‘went off the road’ before disappearing
• Teen’s mother announces she is withdrawing money from fundraiser

[29 June 2024 18:30 · Alexander Butler]

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.

[29 June 2024 17:30 · Alexander Butler]

The strip popular with teenagers where Jay Slater spent his night before disappearing

Lined with garish neon signs, booming music and ridiculously cheap drink deals, Veronica’s Strip in Tenerife could be seen as a British teenager’s heaven or a nightmare.

Young Britons appear to be the main clientele along the popular street in Playa de Las Americas, with hundreds gathering this week to celebrate the end of their A-Level results.

It was here that Jay Slater spent his Sunday evening clubbing, before disappearing 37km away in the mountain region of Rural de Teno national park, with few clues leading as to why the teenager would travel such a distance.

[29 June 2024 17:07 · Holly Evans]

Jay Slater’s father and brother attend search site

Missing teenager Jay Slater’s father and brother joined a group of volunteers who gathered today to look for the young Briton who has been missing for almost two weeks.

Warren Slater, 58, and brother Zak, 24, were seen speaking with search teams who had combed the rugged terrain above the village of Masca, an hour from Playa de las Americas. Among those searching is Paul Arnott, a self-described adventurer who has posted accounts of the search to his TikTok

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Slater said: “It’s a bit disappointing that there are no British apart from Paul but I suppose to them he’s just a British lad who’s come out here and got drunk.

“I’m grateful to those who have come out here because you can see just how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who are having a go at us for not searching.

“It’s not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our position would you go out in these conditions?

“It’s tough, it’s hard, we are leaving it to the professionals and I’m grateful for those who have turned out today and I want to thank them for what they are doing.”

[29 June 2024 16:30 · Alexander Butler]

Jay Slater’s friend reveals details of final phone call as appeal for search volunteers issued

One of Jay Slater’s closest friends has revealed details of a phone call which took place shortly before he disappeared in the mountains of Tenerife.

An emotional Brad Hargreaves said that he heard the teenager sliding on gravel and that he had encouraged him to order a taxi, after they realised he had travelled miles away from their accommodation.

The duo had attended the New Rave Generation festival in Papagayo’s nightclub in the southern tourist hotspot of Playa de Las Americas, with Mr Slater returning to an AirBnb with two older men in in the small village of Masca.

[29 June 2024 15:20 · Alexander Butler]

Having seen the area first hand, here’s why so little progress has been made in finding Jay Slater

Located in a steep valley in the beautiful Rural de Teno park, the remote village of Masca is a heaven for hikers and adventurers travelling to Tenerife.

Yet for the family and friends of Jay Slater, it has become the place of nightmares because its rugged landscape and steep ravines easily hide clues which could shed light on the teenager’s disappearance.

Having seen the search first-hand, it is understandable how such little progress has been made in 12 days. The young Briton’s phone was last located near a stretch of road by the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, with cacti and dense shrubbery on either side, making it slow work for helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs to comb through the area.

The Independent’s Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

[29 June 2024 14:28 · Alexander Butler]

Jay Slater was ‘sliding’ down the hill, says friend

On Friday, Mr Slater’s friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV’s This Morning he had been on a video call with him before his disappearance when he heard him go off the road.

He said: “He was on the phone walking down a road and he’d gone over a little bit – not a big drop – but a tiny little drop and he was going down, and he said ‘I’ll ring ya back, I’ll ring ya back’ because I think someone else was ringing him.”

He confirmed he could see his friend’s feet “sliding” down the hill and could hear he was walking on gravel.

But, Mr Hargreaves said he and his friend were both laughing at that point.

He added: “He didn’t seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he was.”

He told the programme he still had hope for Mr Slater and was “praying” for him to come home.

[29 June 2024 13:43 · Alexander Butler]

Mapped: Jay Slater’s last known whereabouts

[29 June 2024 13:30 · Alexander Butler]

Everything we know about the Briton missing in Tenerife

[29 June 2024 13:00 · Alexander Butler]

Jay Slater machete gang attack victim hits out at internet trolls and urges them to help find teenager

A man who had his “skull split open” in a machete attack carried out by a gang including Jay Slater has broken his silence on the desperate search for the teenager who vanished in Tenerife.

The missing 19-year-old was part of a group of eight people who attacked Tom Hilton, then 17, with a machete, golf clubs and an axe in Rishton, Lancashire, in 2021.

The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, was handed an 18-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work for his role in the violent disorder.

[29 June 2024 12:30 · Alexander Butler]

Police ‘investigate stolen Rolex lead'

Local police are reportedly investigating a scuffle outside Papagayo Beach Club - where the Mr Slater was before the night he disappeared - in which an Eastern European man allegedly had a Rolex watch stolen.

It is unclear exactly how Mr Slater’s disappearance might be linked to the incident - but officers are reportedly examining CCTV footage from the security cameras.