Jay Slater missing – latest: Mother gives GoFundMe update as teen ‘spotted watching Euros’ after last contact

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 over the fundraiser that was launched to help find her missing son as the search for him in Tenerife continues for an eleventh 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, as she vowed the teenager’s loved ones will not lose hope and will return home with him.

It comes as the local mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Jose Navarro, said Spanish 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.

Police are examining grainy CCTV footage from the town, which is around three-and-a-half miles from the mountainous Rural de Teno park – his last known location – to determine whether it is a sighting of the apprentice bricklacker.

The image, shared by the family to media outlets, shows a person walking through the town and was captured around 10 hours after Jay's phone last pinged.

Key Points

• Jay Slater’s mother announces she is withdrawing money from fundraiser
• On the ground with the desperate search for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife
• Father of Jay Slater says he is in ‘living hell’ after son’s disappearance
• Family ‘utterly broken’ but mission remains to find Jay Slater alive
• Social media sleuths urged to ‘think before you post'

[26 June 2024 18:38 · Tom Barnes]

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.

But distastful pranks like this could cause a fatal distraction with days going by since Jay was last seen and friends of the teenager begged for people to keep up the massive search along the rocky hillsides of Tenerife full of treacherous ravines and cacti.

Read more from Barney Davis:

[26 June 2024 17:35 · Tom Barnes]

Watch: Private detective says family live in hope Jay Slater will be found alive

Private investigator Mark Williams-Thomas has been speaking to reporters in Tenerife today.

He aid the 19-year-old’s family members have been putting up pictures and posters around the island are responding to as many enquiries as they can.

He added: “They still live with the hope that Jay will return and that he is not safe but still alive.”

[26 June 2024 17:00 · Sian Elvin]

Renewed appeal for information

Mr Williams-Thomas, on behalf of the family, urged anyone who may have information to come forward.

He told reporters in Tenerife: “This is about finding Jay and we need as many people as possible to get involved, and I would urge as another appeal... There are people out here who know more.

“There are people out here who have information who have seen Jay, who had contact with Jay whilst he was here.

“If you were in those clubs on that evening or in the early hours of that morning, please come forward.”

[26 June 2024 16:33 · Sian Elvin]

Social media sleuths urged to ‘think before you post'

Speaking to members of the press pack, Mr Williams-Thomas urged internet conspiracy theorists to consider the feelings of Jay Slater’s family.

He told reporters including The Independent’s Holly Evans: “There are people out there who have been vile. I’ve listened to messages and read messages from people, there are people out there who have phoned up and said we’ve got Jay hostage, we’ve got Jay captive and they need to pay.

“There are some really vile people who have done that, they’ve tried to hack some of the social media sites, they’ve attacked some of the family. This is unacceptable. You’ve got a young lad who is missing and the family deserve respect. I would urge anyone on social media to think before you post.”

[26 June 2024 16:06 · Sian Elvin]

Family ‘utterly broken’ but mission remains to find Jay Slater alive

Mark Williams-Thomas, a private investigator, spoke to the press in Tenerife this afternoon on behalf of Jay Slater’s family, including The Independent’s Holly Evans.

He told reporters: “They are a very, very united family and they are very supportive and their one mission is to find out what happened to Jay.

“They still live with the hope that Jay will return and that he is not safe, but still alive. They themselves have been out searching and have put out pictures and posters and of course, they are responding to as many enquiries as they possibly can.”

He added they had provided him with an “in-depth insight” into what had happened in the hours leading up to his disappearance.

Asked how the family have been coping, he responded: “They are utterly broken, having done this many times and having been a family liaison officer, they are an incredibly united family.

“Not just in terms of the family but also the friends that are here to support. They are all very focused in terms of finding Jay. The problem is they are now without information, a lot of information was coming in initially but they are now without much information.”

[26 June 2024 15:26 · Barney Davis]

‘The picture being painted of him is just not true’ Building firm stands by missing Jay Slater

PH Build Group, the company that employs 19-year-old Slater as an apprentice bricklayer, revealed it had to remove a Facebook post about the missing teenager due to “negative comments and conspiracy theories”.

“Jay has been with us since he left school and is liked by all. He’s a valued member of our team and we stand by him.”

“The picture being painted of him is just not true. The fact is he’s a 19 year old lad missing in a foreign country. He needs to be back home where he belongs. Come on Jay we are all praying for you.”

(PA)

[26 June 2024 15:19 · Barney Davis]

‘I know how Slater family feel’ Father speaks of hurt as son vanished on Ibiza

Mark Garland’s son Ben had been out for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorbike to film waves near Portinatx on the north of the island before he disappeared on 21 January 2020.

His jacket was found in the water three days later, and Mr Garland believes his son was swept out to sea.

He told Sky News: “It’s the not knowing, it’s a never-ending nightmare, it’s torture, absolute torture. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anybody.

“Jay’s parents will be feeling empty, they’re going to be tired. They will be confused, they will just be wanting answers.

“It’s such a traumatic experience.”

Asked if he had any advice for Mr Slater’s parents, he said: “I would tell them never give up and to get some sleep, that’s the main thing. I didn’t sleep properly, I was absolutely worn out every single day, physically and emotionally.

“I hope and pray Jay is found safe and well.”

[26 June 2024 15:10 · Barney Davis]

Ex detective speaks on how he would have investigated Jay Slater case

Former detective Steve Gaskin told the Mirror: “If we treat this like a murder from the outset, then if it turns out not to be then nothing’s lost, we only have a few hours - people call it the golden hour, but really it’s the golden 24 hours - to gather forensic evidence before it’s too late.

“I’d want to know what he’d had from breakfast. Why has a 19-year-old bricklayer gone missing? What was he doing there? I would want to know everything about him. Who was the last person to see him? Check all their backgrounds too. I’d be speaking to police in the UK. Has he got a criminal record, here or in Spain? What do we know about him?”

[26 June 2024 14:06 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Jay Slater’s disappearance has exposed the horrifying cruelty of social media

Trolls mocking missing Jay Slater, Baby Reindeer’s real-life Martha tracked down and hounded online, armchair sleuths endlessly theorising about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance – Helen Coffey asks, when did we collectively lose our empathy?

[26 June 2024 13:35 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

The vanished of Tenerife: Other people who disappeared on the island where Jay Slater went missing

Tourists looking for an easygoing, fun holiday in the sun have headed to the island of Tenerife for decades.

From the party vibes of the neon-lit strip of Playa De Las Americas to the spiritual hikes across cacti-infested ravines in the heat, there is something for everyone.

But with its rocky cliff faces and harsh terrain, the island also has a dangerous side with completely inaccessible areas.

Barney Davis reports: