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Jay Slater’s father has voiced his frustration as the search for his 19-year-old son enters a fourth week.
It is now three weeks exactly since the teenager vanished in Tenerife’s Rural de Teno park on Monday 17 June.
The case has captured the attention of the nation, with over £50,000 being donated to the 19-year-old’s family, who have flown out to continue searching for him - despite authorities ending the official search a week ago.
His mother, Debbie Duncan, said the family has been “overwhelmed” by the support as she issued an update on the GoFundMe.
She said local volunteer groups had offered to continue searching and that they are also in contact with “experienced groups” who have offered assistance.
That included Jay’s father, Warren Slater, who carried out a search with the teenager’s uncle and brother, close to the last location Jay’s phone “pinged” on Saturday.
But he has voiced his concern over the theories over his son’s disapperance, and the local police response. He told MailOnline: “Everything stinks. It’s just a riddle and I don’t know the outcome.”
He also spoke of his frustration over a woman at a restaurant who he said last saw his son walking the wrong way before he vanished.
ICYMI: Jay Slater’s family move search back to Tenerife town
The 19-year-old’s father Warren Slater, 58, and brother Zak Slater, 23, were seen scanning the small, mountain village of Santiago del Teide on Monday, as the hunt on the Spanish island entered its fourth week.
The official search has now been called off, with Warren Slater criticising local police and residents alike for not doing more to help his son, an apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire.
On Saturday, Warren, Zak and Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, took part in an eight-hour search in a remote valley in the north of Tenerife, where Jay’s phone last pinged on 17 June.
My colleague Alex Ross and Tara Cobham report:
Women’s clothes amongst ‘eerie signs of signs of life’ found at ravine near Jay Slater search
“Eerie signs of life” have been spotted near the ravine near where Jay Slater went missing in Tenerife.
When the apprentice bricklayer went missing on the morning of June 17, a huge search was launched in the remote Rural de Teno national park.
After embarking on an 11-hour hike back to his accommodation, the 19-year-old’s phone last location was recorded near a ravine in the challenging terrain.
On Thursday, Mail+ reporters visited the ravine and found: “Shoelaces tied with twigs to form haunting symbols like something out of a horror film, empty water bottles, and — most strange of all — a set of clean women’s clothes.”
Search for missing teenager in Tenerife is ‘no holiday’ says Slater’s mother
Jay Slater’s mother hit back at trolls online saying that the search for 19-year-old missing son in Tenerife is “no holiday”.
The search for the teen who went missing on the Spanish Island on 17 June has entered fourth week.
“My beautiful son Jay is still missing and believe me this is no holiday,” Debbie Duncan wrote on official Jay Slater Missing Facebook group, as online trolls took shot at the family, undermining the search efforts.
“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 about £52,000 raised for him.
Jay’s father vents his frustration
More has emerged from Jay Salter’s father, Warren’s interview with MailOnline, in which vented his frustration at the police investigation.
The Guardia Civil has wound back its search but welcomed any search and rescue teams to the island to conduct their own operations, so long as they request permission to do so.
But Warren is frustrated at the lack of help. He said: “We’re going round and round in circles. The Spanish police, you can’t go screaming and shouting at them because they don’t do anything.
“If you start screaming and shouting they won’t do anything even more. If they want to go and search a house, they have to go to court first.”
It has now been three weeks since Jay Slater went missing on 17 June, after telling a friend he had got lost in mountains on the island of Tenerife.
The 19-year-old had travelled to the Spanish island on 13 June to attend the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance.
After attending one of the events on 16 June, Jay went to an AirBnB in Parque Rural de Teno Buenavista del Norte, a remote area to the north of the island, known for its rugged and sparse terrain.
At around 8.15am, Mr Slater called his friend Lucy Law, who had been at the festival with him, to tell her he had missed his bus and was planning to make the 11-hour walk back to his accommodation.
He told her he was dehydrated, had cut his leg on a cactus, was unsure of his location, and had hardly any phone battery to use a maps app. This was the last time the teenager’s family and friends heard from him.
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.
Read more from Holly Evans here:
TikToker searching for Jay Slater who quit because he ‘didn’t feel safe’ in Tenerife ‘didn’t want to fail’
But sick trolls were waiting for Callum Fahim as he touched down in the capital on Thursday after tracking his flight number from his livestreams online.
Jay Slater’s mother says ‘this is no holiday’ as she hits back at internet trolls
In case you missed it...
Jay Slater’s mother has hit back at trolls questioning the use of money raised by the public to help in the search for the 19-year-old.
Nearly £50,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe page set up during the search on Tenerife, where Jay went missing nearly three weeks ago.
But as the search scales back, with Spanish authorities no longer looking for the young man, some people’s attention online has turned to the use of the money raised.
‘We ain’t drug mules’ Jay Slater’s friend hits back at trolls
Brad Hargreaves travelled out with Jay Slater to Tenerife to attend the NRG music festival - and has found himself the subject of internet trolls.
In response, he wrote a message on Instagram in which he hit out at the conspiracy theories circulating.
“Thinkin I’m involved in it all is beyond me,” he wrote.
“We’ve been mates for years, came on our first holiday together and unfortunately this has happened.
“We ain’t drug mules or whatever.... people need to know the facts before talking sh** on the internet...”
Debbie Duncan’s full GoFundMe statement
Jay Slater’s mother gave this update on 6 July:
“Hello everyone, I wanted to give you all an update on our continued efforts to find our Jay.
“We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support we have received and would like to thank the local hiking group for all of their help planning the routes to find our Jay. We have been contacted by a wonderful group of locals who have volunteered to continue the search. While they don’t wish to accept financial help for their search, we will be supporting them with supplies and are so grateful for their willingness to help.
“We also continue to be contacted by experienced groups offering to support our search. We are busy talking to them about what they can do to assist. But in order for us to employ their help, they need to have permission from the Spanish authorities.
“We will be sure to keep you all updated on our progress and are so grateful for your continued support to bring our boy home. Please keep sharing and supporting our fundraiser however you can.”
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2024-07-09 04:30:25Z
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