Jay Slater missing - latest: Teenager’s mother says search is ‘no holiday’ in fervent response to trolls

Investigation into Jay Slater’s disappearance continues

Exploring the isolated Tenerife landscape of Jay Slater's last known location

The mother of missing Jay Slater has issued a impassioned response to trolls who have questioned the spending of money raised for the search.

In a post on the official Jay Slater Missing Facebook group, Debbie Duncan said: “My beautiful son Jay is still missing and believe me this is no holiday.”

Ms Duncan and her family flew out to Tenerife to join the search after the 19-year-old went missing on 17 June.

Nearly £50,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe page to find the teenager, and the money will be used to support searches, paying for accommodation, equipment and other essentials.

After some questioned the spending of money, Ms Duncan responded on Facebook.

“For those of you who are more concerned around the Gofundme page I can assure you that up to now it has not been used and our stay up to now has been financed by ourselves,” she said.

Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival on the Canary Island on Sunday June 16, before he went back to an AirBnb around an hours drive from the festival with two men he had met.

He left the property early on Monday morning and called his friend at 8.50am to say that he was lost in the Rural de Teno park with no water and only had one per cent battery on his phone.

Key Points

• Jay’s mother hits back at trolls
• Jay knew men whose AirBnb he went back to ‘through friends’
• Jay Slater’s mother says mystery surrounding her son’s disappearance may never surface
• Man who took Jay Slater back to his AirBnb insists teen was alive when he left

[5 July 2024 11:40 · Alex Ross]

GoFundMe - where donations will go

In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, which had raised almost £50,000, Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan thanked the “vast” generosity of donors, saying her family are “grateful for all of your support and kindness during this unimaginable time”.

Ms Duncan wrote that part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced.

She went on: “We are currently looking after Paul Arnett, putting together a package of any equipment and essentials he needs and going up to do a drop for him.

“We are also supporting Callum Fahim and his group with accommodation and other essentials.”

Debbie Duncan is continuing to give updates on the saerch (PA/ITN)

[5 July 2024 11:25 · Alex Ross]

What else did Jay Slater’s mother say in her Facebook post

“I feel the need to post this to your group and then I shall remove myself. I joined this group to share the positivity and love from the British public. It seems through no fault of my own you have all decided to make up your own minds. It is really sad I have felt the need to do this. My beautiful son Jay is still missing and believe me this is no holiday.

“He came on his first holiday to Tenerife to attend the NRG music event. What mystery surrounding his disappearance may never surface. We as a family are truly devastated. I did not ask for publicity from the start and was not aware that the first missing poster had my telephone number on it.

“It should have had the SOS Guardia Civil but like I say this was out of my control.

“Whatever decision you have in your minds I cannot control this either. We are a normal working family from Lancashire going through hell. I would like to thank the genuine people for their love and support at this difficult time and to continue to pray for Jay to be found.”

[5 July 2024 10:03 · Alex Ross]

Jay’s mother hits back at trolls

Last week, the mother of missing Briton Jay Slater said donations reaching almost £50,000 will be used to support volunteers helping to find her son in Tenerife.

Debbie Duncan wrote that part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced.

But it appears she’s come under attack from trolls over the spending.

In response, in a Facebook post posted on an official Facebook page for the search, she said: “It seems through no fault of my own you have all decided to make up your own minds.

“It is really sad I have felt the need to do this. My beautiful son Jay is still missing and believe me this is no holiday. He came on his first holiday to Tenerife to attend the NRG music event.

“We as a family are truly devastated.”

She added: “For those of you who are more concerned around the GoFundMe page I can assure you that up to now it has not been used and our stay up to now has been financed by ourselves.

“I do have proof of transactions and transfers to other persons but I should not have to justify this. So you can make up your own minds.”

Debbie Duncan with Jay Slater (Supplied)

[5 July 2024 08:36 · Alex Ross]

‘ I’ve been living off BBQ Doritos and Appletisers’

With some still searching for Jay Slater in Tenerife, we spoke to one, TikToker and hiker Callum Fahim, who has been on his own personal search for the past two weeks.

“The most sleep I’ve had is about two hours because I have to plan all the routes overnight,” he said.

“I haven’t been able to eat properly; I’ve been living off BBQ Doritos and Appletisers.

Read Barney Davis’ interview here:

[5 July 2024 07:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Full story: Jay Slater could still be alive ‘drinking rainwater and eating plants’, detective says

A private investigator has urged Jay Slater’s family “not to give up hope”, claiming the missing teenager could still be alive “drinking rainwater and eating plants”.

The 19-year-old from Lancashire has not been seen or heard from since hedisappeared on the morning of June 17 in Tenerife’s Rural de Teno national park.

His disappearance sparked huge national interest and a huge search operation but following a gruelling 13-day search, the Spanish Civil Guard called off its operation on Sunday.

However, private investigator and army reservist Juan García, 53, said that it was too early to halt the search.

Read the full story below:

[5 July 2024 06:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Jay Slater’s dad wonders if son was making his way to sea

Jay Slater’s father Warren, 58, has been searching a trail at Jay’s last known location at Rural de Teno Park on Wednesday.

Asked if he thinks Jay may have been heading towards the sea, which was visible in the distance, Warren told the Manchester Evening News: “Maybe”.

“I’ve done this trail now twice. Every step I’ve took there’s been an opening. If you land on one of those cactus’ you’re not moving. Surely somebody’s gonna find you after two weeks.”

Speaking about the area below him, he said: “It’s hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff. You can’t explain this to somebody unless they see it. You can take a photograph or film it, but until you’re here...”.

(Sky News)

[5 July 2024 05:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Jay knew men whose AirBnb he went back to ‘through friends’

The man whose AirBnb Jay Slater visited before disappearing said they knew each other through friends.

Ayub Qassim is believed to be one of two men who invited Jay Slater back to their holiday accommodation in Masca in the early hours of Monday morning.

Jay left the Airbnb at around 8am but having missed the bus back down to his own accommodation in Playa de Las Americas, he attempted an 11 hour journey through the remote and challenging terrain of Rural de Teno park.

Mr Qassim said Jay left the house “alive” and said he knew Jay “through friends”.

“I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them,” he told the MailOnline. “I don’t know if he had beef elsewhere because I don’t know him that well, I only know him through friends.”

He added: “He’s a cool guy, Jay. He ain’t got a problem with me, I haven’t got a problem with him or his mates. We just all talk to each other and everything was sweet.”

[5 July 2024 03:30 · Athena Stavrou]

Forensic officers spotted inside AirBnb rental property

Forensic officers were spotted at the AirBnb in Masca on Tuesday, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Two police officers were seen inside the holiday rental apartment where Jay stayed the night before his disappearance. The men, who were both wearing plain clothes, exited the property shortly after 11am wearing forensic style blue slip-ons over their shoes.

They were then seen taking the slip-ons off before speaking to a local, who had let them into the property with a key.

The Airbnb Casa Abuela Tina in Masca which Jay Slater travelled to (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

[5 July 2024 02:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Friends told Jay Slater ‘head back to AirBnb’ before disappearance

A TV detective investigating Jay Slater’s dissapearance has said the teenager was told by friends to head back to an AirBnB where he had stayed the night before he went missing.

Mark Williams-Thomas - who also investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance - has been assisting Jay’s family in their search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife.

Jay seemingly left the Veronica’s party strip in the south of the island in the early hours of Monday morning with two men he had met, before taking an hour-long drive to

They travelled an hours drive back to their holiday accommodation in Masca, which Jay left several hours later and having missed the bus, attempted to walk 11 hours back towards his own accommodation.

Mr Williams-Thomas highlighted Jay’s strange decision to embark on the walk through challenging terrain rather than return to the AirBnb.

He said: “He was told to go back to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he had already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off the road and walking on a track, where there were loose stones.”

[5 July 2024 01:00 · Athena Stavrou]

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.

My colleague Barney Davis reports: