Spanish police have ended their search for Jay Slater in the mountains, but that’s not the end of the investigation.
The Guardia Civil called off the hunt over the weekend, however the case still remains open. Jay, from Lancashire, was on his first holiday abroad with friends in Tenerife and attended a three-day rave before he disappeared on June 17.
The apprentice bricklayer was last seen in the village of Masca after visiting an Airbnb with two older British men he had met on the island. He reportedly wanted to leave, however after missing the bus back to his accommodation in the south of the island, he is believed to have started the 11-hour trek.
After his friend Lucy Mae Law, who he travelled out with, sounded the alarm, police sparked a ‘major’ manhunt to find Jay. They said they were doing “everything” they could to find the missing teen, with mountain rescue workers using drones and helicopters to comb the mountainous region around the National Park. Last week, specialist dogs from Madrid were drafted in.
Then on Friday, the Guardia Civil, leading the investigation, made a call for expert volunteers to assist them on a ‘massive’ on-foot search for the next day. They requested specialist voluntary organisations including firefighters and civil protection teams to join them, and members of the public who were familiar with navigating the difficult conditions.
Warning volunteers, Civil Guard police chief Angel Sanz Coronado said : “Following the disappearance on June 17 of the young 19-year-old British man in the area of Masca, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, the Civil Guard is prepared to carry out a mass search. Given that it is a steep, rocky area, full of uneven terrain and with many ravines, tracks and trails, we request the collaboration of all those Volunteer Associations that can help in this planned search that is intended to be carried out in a directed and co-ordinated way.
“This massive search will begin on Saturday 29 June at 9am. A meeting point will be established at the Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda in Masca to start the search in a logical and orderly way along the many paths and ravines that are found in Masca.” The spokesman clarified that they were not asking the “unexperienced” general public to join the search, only experts in the type of terrain in the area as well as professional volunteers like firefighters and Civil Protection workers.
However as the on-foot search commenced on Saturday morning, just 30 police, firefighters, and Civil Protection officials joined the effort. And only just half a dozen regular volunteers showed up, according to reports.
When pressed by members of the media as to the logistics of covering the expansive 30km search zone with just 30 rescuers and volunteers, the Civil Guard stated: “We have already spent days searching. The search we are going to do today is going to be around 30 people.”
The search tragically failed to find anything of significance, and just 24 hours later, police declared the search for Jay was off. A Civil Guard representative said on Sunday: “The search operation has now finished although the case remains open.”
An elite Spanish crime unit is still scouring the mountains for clues though, according to reports. British TikTok star Paul Arnott, who flew to Tenerife in the hope of finding Jay, says specialist investigative teams are still combing areas of Masca village to find the teen after bumping into a pair of officers. He explained: “So guys, I’ve just come up from the side of the mountain and something really interesting has happened.
“A car pulled up beside me, and a woman and a man got out of the car. They identified themselves as police. Very communicative and chatty guys. They told me what areas they think Jay may be in and also said they were a special investigative team.”
Meanwhile, expressing his upset at the lack of volunteers for Saturday’s search, frustrated dad Warren Slater told Mail Online: “It’s a bit disappointing that there are no British apart from Paul [Arnott], but I suppose to them he’s just a British lad who’s come out here and got drunk.”
He continued: “I’m grateful to those who have come out here because you can see just how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who are having a go at us for not searching. It’s not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our position would you go out in these conditions?”
Talking about the status of Jay’s case, a judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity as is normal in Spain, explained: “There is no evidence of criminality at this stage in this case. That’s not to say things won’t change because the case remains open and investigations are ongoing. But right now that’s the situation.”
Another said: “This missing persons ‘ case has been judicialised as is normal in Spain and it’s been lodged at Court of Instruction Number One in Icod de los Vinos. The Civil Guard don’t have to tell the judge about everything officers are doing but will be keeping her updated on case progress and of course update her on any significant developments.”
In line with the revelation that the Jay Slater probe is being treated at the moment as a missing person inquiry and not a crime, officials confirmed investigating judge Maria Goya has not declared it ‘secret’ to protect the judicial proceedings. Meanwhile, the police suspension of the mountain search has been widely interpreted as a sign officers do not think he is in the area in and around the Masca Gorge, which they searched with sniffer dogs, mountain rescue experts and a helicopter.
Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Cipriano Martin, head of the Civil Guard’s Greim mountain rescue unit explained that Jay cutting his leg on a cactus meant he must have ‘left the main road’ and headed into treacherous hilly terrain. Despite an extensive search in the mountainous region, Jay’s whereabouts remain a mystery.
Detailing the hopeless efforts, the officer said: “Masca’s been looked at, the Juan Lopez ravine, the Retamar ravine, Las Aneas ravine, Los Carrizales ravine, in all the areas we know he’s been in because his mobile phone coverage is undeniable and places him there.
“But we have a difficulty which is that once the phone goes off the antennas stop picking it up, so that while he’s walking, and we don’t know how long he was walking for, no phone mast is going to detect it, and as the technicians tell us, they look for mobiles and not people, so we’re at that point as well, that we have certain information and we have to go on that.”
Jay’s family has previously claimed they believe someone could be holding him against his will instead. His mum Debbie Duncan said early on in the now-suspended mountain search: “If he is lost then why hasn’t anyone seen him? It’s busy with hikers and holidaymakers up there so if he was lost then someone would have seen him, so that’s why I think maybe he’s been bundled off somewhere.”
The desperate family, who have vowed to carry on the search for the 19-year-old themselves, met with police after admitting they were “disappointed” at the decision to halt it. Heartbroken parents Debbie and Warren spoke to officers in a bid to get answers about their investigation.
A source close to the family said: “The family want to be sure the police aren’t giving up on Jay. They are in constant contact with them about the case.” Former UK police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who is helping the family, had earlier revealed: “They have been talking to the police most days and are speaking to them again today.”
The ex-detective, who previously investigated the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and Nicola Bulley, revealed that he has advised Jay’s family to bring in a team of experts to continue their own private search on the island. Speaking from Tenerife, Mark, 54, told the Mirror : “The police have put considerable resources into searching for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the search by the police has now ended.
“I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area from where we know Jay last was.” The online fundraiser has exceeded the £45,000 mark – significantly more than the specified £30,000 target.
Last week Debbie confirmed they would be withdrawing funds to cover costs of food and accommodation for those staying in Tenerife, and to fly more loved ones out to the island to keep the search going. The only ‘expert’ Brit to turn up for Saturday’s search is mountaineer and TikToker Paul Arnott, who has remained in Tenerife despite the official search coming to a close.
The experienced hiker has vowed to continue looking for Jay, and claims to be chasing a few leads after criticising the Spanish police’s last-ditch attempt as a ‘PR stunt’. Taking to TikTok on Monday, Paul, who has secured accommodation on the island for another fortnight, announced that he had uncovered a potential new ‘clue’ in his own search for Jay, suggesting that a pair of sunglasses could be key in finding out answers.
He has also suggested bringing in a team of British searchers, suggesting: “I wish we could start a GoFundMe or something and just send a load of search and rescue guys from Scotland out. Maybe Monday I can contact Scottish Mountain Rescue and see if we can have a chat about things, but at the moment this is ridiculous. This is mad.”
In the latest update in the search for Jay, two police officers have been seen inside the holiday rental apartment he stayed the night before his disappearance. The men, who were both wearing plain clothes, exited the property in Masca 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. Approached at the property before driving off in an orange-coloured Kia Sportage SUV, one of the men said: “I’m not authorised to talk to you. I’ve been inside. If you want any information speak to the press office in Santa Cruz.”
It comes after police said the two British men who rented the property, who it is understood were spoken to by Spanish police before flying back to the UK days after Jay’s disappearance, have “no relevance” to the investigation.
