Jay Slater missing – latest update: Spanish police ‘have clues’ in search as father frustrated by lack of volunteers

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 the 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 research 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 to comb the area.

The Independents Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:

Jay Slater's father Warren Slater has revealed he was “disappointed” that only six volunteers joined the search for his son after police appealed for help.

Warren Slater, 58, and his son Zak, 24, arrived in Tenerife on Saturday to speak with search teams who have been combing the rugged terrain above the village of Masca, as part of an appeal for additional help from the public.

He said: “It's a bit disappointing that there are no British people apart from Paul, but I suppose to them he's just a British lad who came here and got drunk.”

Spanish police have said the two Britons who sheltered missing British teenager Jay Slater the night before he disappeared were “not relevant” to the investigation.

The 19-year-old disappeared nearly two weeks ago near Buenavista del Norte, Tenerife, after travelling there with two men he had met at a festival about 43 kilometres (27 miles) further south on the island.

Cipriano Martin, head of the Greim mountain rescue unit of the Civil Guard, said: “These men have been questioned and they have no connection with the case. »

Spanish police have released a video showing the rugged terrain where teenager Jay Slater disappeared on June 17.

Police are currently searching for Mr Slater in the mountainous region of Teno National Park.

Investigators are searching surrounding roads, trails and ravines for the boy.

After attending the NRG music festival in Tenerife, Mr Slater's last known location was Teno Rural Park in the north of the island, about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

Mr Slater's friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV's This Morning on Friday that he had been on a video call with him before he disappeared when he heard him drive off the road.

He said: “He was on the phone walking down a road and he had gone over a little bit – not a big drop – but a tiny little drop and he was going down, and he said 'I'll call you back,' I'll call you back because I think someone else was calling him.

He confirmed that he could see his friend's feet “sliding” down the hill and could hear that he was walking on gravel.

But Mr Hargreaves said he and his friend were both laughing at the time.

He added: “He didn’t seem worried on the phone until we knew how far away he was. »

He told the programme he still had hope for Mr Slater and was “praying” he would come home.

Two Britons who were allegedly with Jay Slater in an Airbnb rental the night before he disappeared are “of no relevance” to his search, Spain's Civil Guard has said.

“They have already spoken to the men and it has nothing to do with the case,” said Cipriano Martin, head of the Spanish Civil Guard's rescue unit for the area. Authorities spoke of the difficulties in finding the teenager at a news conference on Saturday.

They said it was virtually impossible to determine how long the teen could have walked with his phone turned off.

“The technology we have can locate phones, but not people. We have certain clues and we must stick to them,” said the Spanish Civil Guard.

Spanish police have appealed for volunteers to help in what they called a “massive search” for the missing teenager, but fewer than a dozen people are said to have come forward.

Mr Slater has been missing for almost two weeks in the difficult-to-navigate mountainous terrain of the island of Tenerife.

Authorities have so far deployed helicopter crews, search dogs as well as drones to search for the missing teenager.

The boy's father, Warren Slater, said Saturday he was “grateful” to those who came to help because “the terrain is dangerous.”

Spanish police have asked teams of volunteers, including firefighters and terrain experts, to take part in what they are calling a “massive search” for missing teenager Jay Slater in the village of Masca. The village is close to his last known location and features steep, rocky terrain with ravines, paths and trails.

In a call the boy made before he disappeared, he said he was “lost in the mountains”, unaware of his surroundings, and that he “desperately needed a drink” and that his phone “was on 1 percent mode”. Spanish police have so far mounted a massive manhunt, including the use of helicopters, drones and search dogs.

“As he was walking – and we don't know how long he was walking – with his phone off, no antenna would pick it up. And the technology we have can track phones, but not people. We have some clues, and we have to stick to those,” the Spanish Civil Guard told media at a press conference on Saturday.