A Lancashire teenager embarked on what should have been an exciting trip to a Tenerife music festival but mysteriously vanished into the mountains. As the search enters its second harrowing week, the baffling case has experts deeply concerned about his survival in the unforgiving terrain, leaving his family and search teams grappling with unbearable worry and heartache.
The family of 19-year-old Jay Slater is desperately seeking answers after the teenager went missing in the mountainous regions of Tenerife, Spain. Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, disappeared on the morning of June 17, 2024, after attending a high-energy music festival.
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
The young man’s sudden disappearance has left his family and friends in utter distress, spurring an extensive search effort involving local authorities and numerous volunteers. Jay was last seen heading into the mountains north of the quaint village of Masca, after staying at a remote Airbnb with two men he met at the NRG music festival event.
Family’s Heart-Wrenching Search Continues
His father, Warren Slater, 58, and brother, Zak, 24, have flown to Tenerife to assist in the search. On the seventh day of searching, Warren expressed his confusion and heartbreak, stating that Jay’s disappearance “doesn’t make sense.”
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
“It started out as a lad who had gone walking and got lost, or that he may have fallen. But it doesn’t make sense. Nobody would walk off that road. Why would he have gone uphill? It’s dangerous; it’s a massive mountain. It’s not just a hill,” Warren said, emphasizing the improbability of Jay’s chosen path.
His family, putting up missing posters in Santiago del Teide, remains bewildered by the mysterious circumstances surrounding Jay’s disappearance.
The search continues intensely, with mountain rescue teams, local police, the Civil Guard, and fire crews meticulously combing through Teno Rural Park. Despite their forward efforts, Jay’s whereabouts remain frustratingly unknown.
A Glimmer of Hope
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
A possible sighting reported by Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, described someone resembling Jay near a church in Santiago del Teide, approximately 7 kilometers from Masca.
This sighting, however, remains unconfirmed by authorities. The family, bolstered by friends, has been circulating flyers and sharing a still image of Jay fervently.
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
Rachel Hargreaves, a close family friend, stated that police are diligently investigating every lead, no matter how minute. “We have to take each lead and act on it. Having been up there ourselves, and after all the searching, we get the impression that he can’t be there. We are six days in, but doing all we can to bring him home,” she said.
Jay’s dad, in a deeply emotional interview, conveyed the relentless torment his family is enduring. “The last few days have been a nightmare, just a nightmare,” he said, fighting back tears. He fervently hopes that someone has helped Jay off the mountain. “I just want my boy back,” he pleaded.
The Search Intensifies
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
Warren and Zak made a heart-wrenching visit to the exact location where Jay’s phone last pinged, a remote gorge above Masca village. They were joined by other family members and friends, spending exhaustive hours with search teams, striving to understand the search process and clinging to the hope of finding any sign of Jay.
The teenager’s last known contact was with his friend Lucy Law, to whom he mentioned needing water and that his phone battery was at a critical one percent. Search efforts are currently focused on a challenging 30-kilometer area that includes the Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas.
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
Helicopters, drones, and search dogs are being utilized alongside foot patrols to scour the rugged terrain. Intriguingly, despite these extensive efforts, the case continues to baffle.
Firefighter Riccardo, a dedicated member of the search team, as “increasingly strange.” He drove past him “walking fast.”
Former Head of Lambeth Missing Persons Unit, Mike Neville, shared his deeply unsettling concerns about Jay’s condition. He explained that the area is punishingly hot during the day and bitterly cold at night, casting a dark shadow over Jay’s well-being. “We can only hope that he is just very, very dehydrated somewhere,” Mike said.
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
Mike highlighted the complex terrain, noting that while aerial searches are ongoing, the dense woodland and ravines severely hinder the visibility of someone from above, stressing the imperative of ground searches conducted by police officers, volunteers, and search dogs.
“The Spanish police have published quite detailed analysis focusing on three ravines,” Mike noted.
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
“This area of Tenerife is quite wooded. There are many places where someone could lay down to rest or take shelter, and it’s not visible from the air,” Mike added:
“While the Spanish police are making use of helicopters and drones, they heavily rely on humans – either police officers, volunteers, or park rangers – and dogs to try and locate Jay Slater.”
Missing Teen Desperately Searched for over a Week – Major Concern about His State Revealed
The local community and friends from Britain have rallied around the Slater family, helping circulate posters and share information on social media, urging anyone with details to come forward.
Rachel praised the mountain rescue teams’ dedication and highlighted the family’s unwavering determination to find Jay. “We aren’t giving up. He’s intelligent; nearly a fully qualified bricklayer. He would’ve stood out up there, and someone would have seen him,” she said.
Jay’s mysterious disappearance has united a community in its quest to find him. As the search enters its second week, the relentless efforts of the search teams and the community’s unyielding support provide a precious glimmer of hope.
We previously reported on Jay Slater’s disappearance and the desperate last phone call he made. You can find the details below:
Teen Vanishes After First Holiday Abroad with Friends – His Desperate Final Phone Call Revealed
A desperate search is continuing to find a missing British teenager in Tenerife. Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, vanished after traveling to the Spanish island for a music festival with his friends. The search has entered its fourth day today, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Jay, 19, was last heard from on Monday morning, June 17, when he called his friend Lucy at around 8 a.m. His phone died shortly after.
Lucy recounted that Jay had spent the night with new acquaintances on the island, but their apartment was “in the middle of nowhere.” When he set off to walk back the following morning, his phone ran out of battery.
“He’s gone on a night out, he’s gone to a friend’s house, someone he met during the holiday. One of his new friends rented a car, driving them back to his apartment, and Jay went there not realizing how far it was. He ended up out in the middle of nowhere, possibly thinking he would get home easily,” said Lucy.
“But then in the morning, he set off walking, relying on Maps on his phone and ended up in the middle of the mountains with nothing around. He called me at about 8 o’clock in the morning, saying his phone was at one percent and he didn’t know where he was. He needed a drink, and his phone was about to die,\