Authorities in Tenerife are preparing to hold “a massive search” for missing teenager Jay Slater today – nearly two weeks after he vanished. Police appealed for volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers who were experts in rugged terrain to assist in a “busqueda masiva”. However, the operation has already seen helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs deployed across mountainous areas of the Canary Islands. The 19-year-old man, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, is known to have left the NRG music event in Tenerife by car with two men and stayed the night at an Airbnb in the rural area in the northwest of the island before vanishing on the morning of Monday, June 17. The teen was last heard from by his friend Lucy Mae Law, who claims he called her on the morning he went missing and said he was disoriented, needed water, and that his phone was only one per cent charged. Jay’s devastated mum, Debbie Duncan, says she is “beside herself with worry” and convinced he has been kidnapped, while Jay’s dad, Warren Slater said the teenager’s disappearance “doesn’t make sense.” Investigators are now focusing on an area where Jay’s mobile phone last “pinged” as they return to the ravine to look for him. Leading British detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, has flown to Tenerife to aid the search – for free – and says the two men Jay was with on Sunday, June 16 hold further key information. They have spoken to police in Tenerife, but were allowed to return to the UK, Mr Williams-Thomas said. Speaking on Wednesday, the TV sleuth said: “I have, to date, not been able to speak to a large group of witnesses. But there are two key people to date that I have not spoken to. These are the two men who took Jay back to the holiday rental in the hills. Those two men have spoken to the police and they are now back in the UK.” As the desperate search entered its 12th day on Friday, the Mirror recaps the full timeline of Jay’s disappearance, highlighting what we already know, as well as the countless questions that have surfaced since the teenager’s last known contact on June 17.
What we know so far about Jay Slater’s disappearance
Monday June 17: Jay Slater goes missing in Tenerife Jay Slater vanished on the morning of Monday, June 17, while on holiday in Tenerife with his friends Lucy and Brad. The trio had attended the three-day NRG music festival, which ended on Sunday, before Lucy and Brad headed back to their holiday accommodation, while Jay stayed out with two men he befriended that night. The 19-year-old then returned with the men to their Airbnb in a remote part of Tenerife. According to Jay’s friend Lucy Mae Law, Jay had called her on the morning he went missing and said he was disoriented, needed water, and that his phone was only one per cent charged.
Tuesday June 18: Family and friends fly to Tenerife as investigation is launched Jay Slater was declared missing in British media on Tuesday, after the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed the investigation. That same day, Jay’s mum, Debbie Duncan, flew to Tenerife with his older brother Zac. Debbie said she was “beside herself with worry” and was convinced Jay had been kidnapped. She later revealed that twisted Brits with “northern accents” phoned her with hidden numbers, claiming they had her son captive and were keeping him because he owed them money.
Wednesday June 19: Search location changes after ‘false lead’ Search and rescue teams in Tenerife switched their search from Rural de Teno Park, where Jay is believed to have stayed before suddenly vanishing, to touristy towns in the south after a suspected sighting of Jay. They then returned to the mountains after the sighting was found to be a false lead.
Thursday June 20: Footage emerges of Jay at Tenerife rave, GoFundMe is launched New footage emerged of Jay at a rave in Tenerife moments before he went missing. In the clip, Jay is seen mingling with other partygoers at a packed-out nightclub as music blares in the background. On that same day, Jay’s close pal Lucy Mae launched a GoFundMe page titled “Get Jay Slater home” with a target of raising £30,000.
Friday June 21: Jay seen walking ‘alone and fast’, Spanish police rejectBritish cops help The Airbnb host of the property Jay stayed at before vanishing said she saw him walking “alone and fast” on the morning he went missing, just outside the remote village of Masca. Ophelia, the owner of the accommodation, said: “It’s dangerous walking around here