Jay Slater: Five key questions about the disappearance of a British teenager

Tenerife police on Sunday called off their search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, almost two weeks after he vanished.

The 19 year oldfrom Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, was last seen on Monday June 17 after telling a friend he planned to walk from the village of Masca, in the north-west, to his holiday accommodation in Los Cristianos, in the south – a journey which would take 11 hours on foot.

We may never know what happened. to Mr Slater after the teenager attempted to cross the rugged and dangerous mountainous terrain of northern Tenerife on foot.

The biggest mystery is obviously what happened to him, but extensive searches have been carried out and, so far, there have been no traces of bodies or any other clear clues as to where he found himself.

Other uncertainties remain. Here we examine the main questions that have remained unanswered so far.

Who were the men he went with to the north of Tenerife?

Mr Slater was on holiday with friends in Tenerife when they decided to attend the NRG music festival in the tourist area of ​​Playa de las Americas in the south of the island.

After the event ended on Sunday, June 16, the teenager I returned to a house in Masca, in the northwest of Tenerife, with two men with whom he had become friends on the island.

The identities of the two men have not been revealed, but police told Sky News they were “not relevant” to the search.

Journalist Isla Traquair interviewed Mr Slater's friend Bradley Hargreaves.

She said Mr Slater and his friends had met the two men about three days before he disappeared and they got on well with them.

“He didn't just meet two random people that night,” she said.

“They had struck up a friendship and Brad said they seemed like really cool guys.”

She said Mr Slater returned to the Airbnb with the men because he “just wasn't ready for his night to end”.

Traquair added: “However, he did communicate with his friends, by phone or text, saying, 'Oh, these guys have just gone to bed, maybe I'll come back.'

Mr Slater shared a Snapchat photo at 7.30am the morning of his disappearance, showing himself with a colourful fabric around him.

Traquair said Mr Hargreaves told him Mr Slater had shown him the fabric during a call and that it was a blanket the men had given him for a bed they had made up for him.

Why didn't he take the bus instead of walking?

The last person to see Mr. Slater in person was Ofelia Medina Hernandez, of Masca.

The cafe owner said she spoke to the teenager at 8am on the day he disappeared, telling him a bus was due to arrive at 10am.

However, she said he left on foot and she then passed him “walking fast”.

Learn more:
Final search effort dismissed as 'massive PR stunt'
Jay Slater's disappearance surrounded by speculation
Teenager's employer becomes latest target of online campaign
Emergency services using drones focus on a specific area to search

At around 8.30am, Mr Slater told his friend Lucy Law in a phone call that he was returning to his accommodation after missing a bus.

It's unclear if the teen ever tried to return to the bus stop before disappearing.

He told Ms Law he had only 1% battery left, meaning it would have been too late to call a taxi if he got lost.

Ms Law told Sky News Mr Slater was “not a stupid boy” and would have flagged down a passing car if he had seen one.

Masca is located in a rugged, remote and hilly area and the temperature would have been around 26C, meaning Mr Slater had to make an arduous walk back to his accommodation.

What route did Mr. Slater take down the mountain?

The teenager's precise route is of course unknown, but it is clear that he chose to leave the road and walk over more difficult terrain.

Ms Law said Mr Slater told her on the phone he had “cut his leg on a cactus”.

When she told him to go back to where he came from, he said he didn't know where that was.

He was without food or water and was wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

On Friday June 28, Mr Hargreaves told ITV's This Morning that he had been having video calls with the 19-year-old as he tried to walk back to Los Cristianos.

Mr Hargreaves said the teenager left the road and saw his feet slipping on rocks.

He added that Mr Slater came down with a “small drop” in one of his last video calls.

“He said 'look where I am'. He didn't seem concerned on the phone until we found out how far away he was,” Mr Hargreaves said.

“I said, ‘Give me your location.’ He said, ‘15 minutes’ drive, 14 hours’ walk.’ I don’t know if that’s true or not, so I said, ‘It’s only a 15-minute drive, take a taxi.’”

Mr Slater's phone beeped for the last time in Teno Rural Park, in northwest Tenerife, before running out of battery.

Who was in the CCTV footage shared by the family?

About a week after Mr Slater was last seen, his family shared a blurry image of what they believe to be the missing teenager on CCTV in a town near Masca, 10 hours after he first disappeared.

Sky News was unable to verify the source of the image.

The sighting has not been confirmed by Spanish police, but Mr Slater's parents hoped it could help bring their son home.

The mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, Tenerife, where the CCTV footage was allegedly filmed, later said he did not believe the image had come from there.

It is still unclear where the still was taken and who it shows.

Why has the police search ended now?

Police and mountain rescue teams spent almost two weeks searching for Mr Slater before calling off the search on Sunday June 30.

Firefighters, specialist sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters were also involved in the search.

Police have not revealed whether they had a specific reason for their decision to stop searching for Mr Slater.

A “The search operation is no longer active, but the case is still open and there are several lines of investigation,” said the Civil Guard spokeswoman.

She added: “The search lasted several days as it is a rocky area and difficult to access. »

(c) Sky News 2024: Jay Slater: five key questions about disappearance of British teenager