Jay Slater: search for missing Briton in Tenerife ends in dramatic fashion

Police searching for Briton Jay Slater, who went missing in Tenerife, have ended their search after almost two weeks.

Jay, 19, went missing on Monday, June 17 after attempting to make the long walk to his accommodation on the island while he was there for the NRG rave festival. The apprentice mason had checked into an AirBnB in the village of Masca, about a 40-minute drive from where he was staying, before attempting to walk home.

The Civil Guard announced on Sunday the end of the search which lasted almost two weeks and which mobilized sniffer dogs, a helicopter and mountain rescue experts. “The search operation is now over, although the investigation remains open,” a spokeswoman said.

The search officially ended at 10am on Sunday morning, with media going to the usual meeting point at the search site, but it was deserted. Just 24 hours earlier, around 30 rescuers and dozens of journalists had gone to the site following a call for help from Tenerife's police chief, Angel Sanz Coronado.

A well-placed source said: “The daily operation taking place in and around Masca, near where Jay was last seen, has come to an end. If information comes to us that merits further research, it will be taken into account.

“From what I understand, Jay's parents have been informed of what is clearly a major development. Nothing of interest was discovered in yesterday's large-scale search.”

On Saturday, police said they would continue the search and that there were no plans to end it. However, in a sign that many thought people were losing hope, only six volunteers came forward, including British TikToker and amateur climber Paul Arnott, 29, who is helping the family from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.

Jay was last seen by a resident of Masca, northwest Tenerife, just after 8am on June 17, walking north along the road out of the village after stopping for him ask directions. His phone rang for the last time near an observation point where search teams gathered yesterday to begin the final day of the operation.

‌Friend Lucy Law said Jay called her shortly after he was last seen to say he was thirsty, had no water and had only one percent battery on his phone. The Civil Guard said the “parallel” investigation by police investigators, about which they are not sharing information, is continuing despite the suspension of “visible” searches in the Masca mountains and surrounding areas.

The high-profile investigation has so far seen Detective Constable Mark Williams-Thomas travel to Tenerife to help find answers for the family. The case, meanwhile, has been mired in speculation from online sleuths and armchair detectives providing unfounded theories.

Speaking to reporters on the island on Wednesday, Mr Williams-Thomas called for two British men Jay left with on Sunday evening after meeting them while they were outside to come forward. The Civil Guard said it had since ruled out the duo.