Jay Slater missing – latest: Teen’s friend reveals details of phone call as mass appeal made for volunteers

Spanish police call for volunteers as they organise large-scale search operation on Saturday

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

Jay Slater’s friend has said he could tell the teenager “went off the road” during one of the last phone calls he had before he went missing.

On their last phone call, Mr Slater promised Brad he would call him back but hung up as “someone else was ringing him.”

Brad explained: “He was on the phone and he goes: ‘I’ve got walk and go all down that road’.”

He added that he could hear Jay’s feet slide on the rocks, signalling to him his friend had “went off the road.. That’s how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you can... you know what I mean, stones.”

The development comes as Spanish police have called for volunteers to join the search for the missing teenager.

The Civil Guard said they are organising a large-scale search operation and are requesting volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds to join, including experts in difficult terrain and firefighters.

The coordinated search will begin on Saturday 29 June at 9am. The Civil Guard said a meeting point will be established at Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda, Masca.

Key Points

• Friend says he could tell Jay Slater ‘went off the road’ before disappearing
• Spanish police call for volunteers to join large-scale search in Tenerife
• Caves being searched for missing teen
• Teen’s mother announces she is withdrawing money from fundraiser
• GoFundMe page raises over £40,000
• On the ground with the desperate search for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife

[28 June 2024 11:30 · Holly Evans]

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.

Read the full article here:

[28 June 2024 11:15 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

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.

[28 June 2024 10:45 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Tenerife’s darker side - 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.

Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

[28 June 2024 10:23 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Jay Slater’s family are ‘utterly broken’ and ‘still holding out hope’ to find teen in Tenerife

The family of missing teenager Jay Slater say they are “utterly broken” as the search continues in Tenerife for a tenth day with no clues to shed light on his disappearance.

The 19-year-old has not been heard from since last Monday morning, 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.

Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas has now flown over from the UK after offering the family his assistance, as Spanish police and sniffer dogs continue to scour the mountainous region in the north of the island.

Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

[28 June 2024 09:45 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Are TikTokers and Facebook sleuths drowning out actual leads in the hunt for Jay Slater?

Fake rumours of a body being found in the hunt for Jay Slater had spread like wildfire across Facebook, TikTok and other social media sites as thousands of users share disinformation.

A mocked up Facebook post from one of the Slater’s family inner circle was shared with the message: “Jay’s body has been found. Our hearts are with his family in these evil times, we’ve heard from locals it was the job of the Morrocans [sic].”

The mother of Jay’s best friend Rachel Louise Harg, who also set up the GoFundMe page to go towards search efforts, was forced to amplify the cruel prank as she distanced herself from it, insisting the official update group: “This isn’t me.”

Barney Davis reports:

[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: