After seeing the Tenerife area, here's why so little progress has been made in the search for Jay Slater

LSituated in a steep valley in the beautiful Teno Rural Park, the remote village of Masca is a paradise for hikers and adventurers traveling to Tenerife.

But for Jay Slater's family and friends, it has become a place of nightmare because its rugged landscape and steep ravines easily hide clues that could shed light on the teenager's disappearance.

After witnessing the research, it is understandable that so little progress has been made in 12 days. The young Briton's phone was last located near a stretch of road near the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, with cacti and dense shrubs on either side, slowing down the work of helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs to scour the area.

Why the apprentice mason travelled such a distance is another mystery that has baffled investigators and volunteers involved in the search.

After having fun at the New Rave Generation festival in the tourist area of ​​Playa de Las Americas on June 16, Mr Slater went with two older British men to their Airbnb in the early hours of the morning.

A Snapchat image sent at 7:30 a.m. shows him smoking a cigarette outside their apartment before calling his friend Lucy Law around 8:50 a.m. to tell her he was lost, dehydrated and had only 1% battery left. . Just over half an hour later, his phone died and mountain rescue teams focused their search on the area where he was last recorded.

When I arrive there, the search teams have dwindled in size, with only a handful of Guardia Civil officers and a sniffer dog combing the area. The ravine closest to the road has been thoroughly examined, and they are soon heading into the valley near Los Giralles, an hour and a half walk from the terracotta-tiled Airbnb.

Faced with daily questions from the pack of British journalists gathered in the mountains, the guards appear reserved and provide little insight into the progress of their research.

While they have avoided making public appeals for information or holding press conferences, they have now called for volunteers to join them on Saturday, June 29, as the case is not moving forward.

Unfortunately for Mr Slater's family, his disappearance has attracted less welcome attention, with conspiracy theorists and internet sleuths using social media to spread wild rumours, in a move that echoes the disappearance of Nicola Bulley in Lancashire last January.

The worst of the comments was about her mother, Debbie Duncan, who was repeatedly compared by trolls to the mother of Shannon Matthews, a little girl who was presumed missing but was later discovered to be hiding from her mother. Meanwhile, their GoFundMe to help with the search has been questioned and criticized.

On Thursday, his family announced they would withdraw part of the £40,000 raised to continue paying for his accommodation on the island and to allow his relatives to join them.

Occasionally, TikTokers can be seen filming the research, including Paul Arnott, who shared 66 videos of the research on Thursday, while another couple describe themselves as “black tourists” who like to travel to observe disturbing current events.

Meanwhile, the teenager's family and friends remain at their hotel on the coast, with only his father Warren Slater having appeared at the search site in recent days.

After putting up posters in the nearby town of Santiago de Tiete, he emotionally told reporters: “I just want him to be found.” I just want my son back, period. »

“What else is there? It’s been a week now, a week with nothing. So someone somewhere must have discovered something. Someone.”

“It’s a living hell. Unless you live it, you can’t explain it.”

Among those offering their services to the family was former detective turned TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas, who flew to the Canary Islands on Monday.

Speaking outside his hotel, he said Mr Slater's loved ones were “completely broken” but still held out hope that the young man would be found safe.

Among those who last spoke to the apprentice mason was his friend Brad, who accompanied him to the festival. Hello Great BritainHe said he heard Mr Slater's feet sliding on the rocks, which signalled to him that his friend had “left the road”.

An eyewitness told police she spoke to the teenager while he was on the road near Masca and informed him of bus times to get back to the tourist area. However, she spotted him shortly after, walking down the road, her last sighting before he disappeared.

Although Spanish police spoke to the two men who took him to the mountainous region after he was reported missing, little is known about their backgrounds or why they were staying in such an isolated area.

He had met them while clubbing along Veronica's Strip, an area popular among British teenagers and young adults because of its row of late-night bars and cheap drink offerings.

At the Papagayo nightclub, staff were clearly instructed not to say anything about the affair. Footage taken on Snapchat in the early hours of Sunday June 16 showed Mr Slater partying with friends.

On Saturday, Spanish police were hoping for a massive mobilization of volunteers to find him, even though he has not been seen for almost two weeks. However, while the temperature is relatively moderate, the landscape is unforgiving, with steep slopes, brambles and unclear paths.

As for her family, she hopes that this research team will be able to put an end to her ordeal and finally provide answers.