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The mother of Jay Slater has issued a heartbreaking statement days after Spanish police ended their search for the missing teenager, who disappeared over two weeks ago in Tenerife.
Debbie Duncan thanked the Guardia Civil who she said had “worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced”.
In a statement released through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: “We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance.
“Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.”
The 19-year-old had travelled with friends to the Canary Island to attend the NRG music festival, before returning to a remote Airbnb with two British men that he had met in Playa de Las Americas.
He 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.
Jay Slater’s dad blasts ‘being left in the dark’ by Spanish police
Warren Slater, 58, was asked about the investigation today as he searched for the 19-year-old in the ravine where Jay’s phone last ‘pinged’ 16 days ago.
Commenting on the investigation, Warren said: “The police here are doing their own investigations. They’re not really telling us anything, they’re not telling you lot anything, we’re in the dark. They know best. Do you think they should be still searching?
“If it was in England I’d be making a stink, but we’re in a foreign country and we’ve just got to leave it to people who know best.”
‘Sunglasses could be vital clue in hunt for Jay Slater'
The Daily Mail’s Nick Pisa said he had spoken to a man who had “found a pair of sunglasses” on the gorge, and had handed them in to the police.
Pisa explained to GB News: “I’ve now spoken to an ex-British Army officer who found some sunglasses up there. He was asked not to put them in a plastic bag because of humidity, but to wrap them up in tissue paper, which he did.
“He handed them in and he had to give DNA and his fingerprints. The question is, are they connected to Jay?”
Detective ‘confident’ that Snapchat picture is if missing Jay Slater
Mark Williams-Thomas says is “confident” that a crucial photo is of Jay wearing his “black and green AirMax trainers, which he had on the night he went out”.
He said: “Whilst on the walk he talked to and messaged his friends. Whilst walking Jay spoke to at least three people telling them that he was lost with little phone battery and without water.
“He was told to go back by at least two people to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he’d already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off-road and was walking on a track where there were loose stones.
“We know that at 8.49 and 8.50 Jay sent his location via both Snapchat and WhatsApp to two friends. We can confirm it was Jay using his phone at that stage and there was no indication that he was with anyone.”
The vanished of Tenerife: Other people who disappeared on the island where Jay Slater went missing
Several people still remain missing on the island of Tenerife after vanishing decades ago
Missing Persons Tenerife group swells as Jay Slater search captures national zeitgeist
The Missing Persons Tenerife Facebook Group has swollen from 340 members to almost 8,000 in a fortnight.
Most, but not all of those joining are British nationals, some of whom are worried about their safety in visiting Tenerife, as well as those having an interest in the Jay Slater case.
Its admin Deborah Clarke-Topper said the spike meant other historical missing persons cases are gaining attention.
She told The Independent: “It is clear that the coverage of the case is building a perception that Tenerife is not a safe destination, and that the police do not act as favourably toward Britons on holiday as they would their own citizens.
“However, I am sure that the Spanish police are extremely earnest in their investigation and reaching a conclusion to it is what they want, regardless of the nationality of the missing person. As long as the case remains unresoved there will be negative perception on the safety of holiday makers.”
AirBnb renter says he has spoken to Spanish police
Ayub Qassim, 31, told MailOnline he took Jay Slater back to his rented holiday cottage after a rave in Tenerife hours before he vanished on June 17.
He added: “If I’d fallen out with him would he even come to mine?
“There were no problems. You’ve seen the last images of him with his red blanket around him.
“I don’t know if he had beef elsewhere because I don’t know him that well, I only know him through friends.”
Mr Qassim said he had only spoken to authorities in Tenerife.
He said: “I’ve spoken to the Spanish police and they’ve told me not to speak to anyone which is why I’ve been quiet.
“I’ve not spoken to Mark Williams-Thomas or anyone like him because he doesn’t have any jurisdiction in Tenerife, and I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Man who took Jay Slater back to his AirBnb insists teen was alive when he left
One of the men who last saw Jay Slater alive has broken his silence.
Ayub Qassim is believed to be one of the two men who was staying in the apartment Jay Slater left in the early hours to make the long trek back to his own rental accommodation.
He vanished somewhere along the 10-hour walk.
Speaking to MailOnline today Ayub Qassim said: “The only comment I have to make is that Jay came to the house alive, and he left the house alive.
“I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him.
“I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
“I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
Britons using new safety measures in Tenerife after Jay Slater disappearance
Britons using new safety measures in Tenerife after Jay Slater disappearance
Young Britons holidaying in Tenerife say the disappearance of teenager Jay Slater has made them take extra safety precautions. The 19-year-old disappeared after attending a music festival with friends two weeks ago. Spanish police have now said the hunt for Mr Slater had ended with the case remaining open. Young holidaymakers heading to Tenerife spoke to Sky News about their fears on Monday (1 July). One person said: “We are more cautious and aware. We have got our own locations on. We wouldn’t have considered that when we booked it.” Another added: “I am a little more scared, so made sure we have got each other’s locations on.”
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...”.
Jay Slater machete gang attack victim hits out at internet trolls and urges them to help find teenager
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2024-07-04 05:02:09Z
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