Jay Slater missing – final update: Spanish police 'have clues' in search as father frustrated by lack of volunteers

A new search for missing teenager Jay Slater is set to begin in Tenerife on Saturday after Spanish police called in volunteer experts to help.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing after trying to walk back to his home on June 17.

On Friday, the Civil Guard launched an appeal to volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers with expertise in rough terrain to participate in a “busqueda masiva,” or mass search, which will take place on Saturday.

Situated in a steep valley in the beautiful Teno Rural Park, the remote village of Masca is a haven for hikers and adventurers travelling to Tenerife.

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

Having seen the search with my own eyes, it is understandable that so little progress has been made in 12 days. The young Briton's phone was last found near a stretch of road near the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, lined with cacti and dense shrubs on either side, slowing down the work of helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs combing the area.

The Independents Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

A “massive search” for missing British teenager Jay Slater is to begin almost two weeks after he vanished in a remote part of Tenerife.

The Civil Guard announced that it would intensify its search for the 19-year-old, after calling on volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers with experience in navigating difficult terrain to help them.

Police and volunteers will begin their search at 9am in the village of Masca, near Mr Slater's last known whereabouts, and will attempt to retrace his last known steps.

From the party vibes of the neon-lit strip of Playa De Las Americas to spiritual hikes through cactus-infested ravines in the heat, there's something for everyone.

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Jay Slater is reportedly the 11th person to disappear from the island of Tenerife this year.

The tourist area has the second highest number of missing people in Spain, with 11 people disappearing in 2024 alone, according to ABC News. Locals say people disappear on the islands every year and can be missing for “months.”

The region has many mountains, valleys, cliffs and very deep ravines.

Police fear the teenager may have gotten lost in remote mountains.

“It often happens that hikers disappear. It’s the same every summer. The police spend a week looking for the victims, then they leave again. Sometimes it takes months to find a body because the mountains are too difficult to search,” said Anita, a local resident who was identified only by her first name. The independent.

British teenager Jay Slater was attending the New Rave Generation music festival, a three-day event at the Papagayo nightclub on the Spanish island of Tenerife before he disappeared.

Lucy Law, the friend who was traveling with him, posted on a GoFundMe page that the teenager had left with two people he had met at the festival to go to their apartment on the last day.

“Their apartment was miles from civilization and in a very isolated location,” Ms Law said.

On Monday morning, she said she received a call from Mr Slater, saying he had missed the bus and was planning to walk back, a journey that would have involved 11 hours of walking.

On the way, Ms Law says the teenager was “lost in the mountains”.

“He was unaware of what was happening around him, he was desperate for a drink and his phone was 1% alcohol,” Ms Lucy said.

“His last location was on an off-road track, a 10-hour walk from his hotel,” she said.

According to reports, the teenager did not have water with him for his hike, nor clothing suitable for the cold of the night or the heat of the morning.

“It was 1 degree and very windy when I was out searching in the middle of the night,” Ms Lucy said.

The last recorded phone location of the teenager was in the mountainous Rural de Teno National Park at 8:50 a.m. on June 17.