Jay Slater's family vows to continue searching for missing teen after police call off…

June 30, 2024, 10:18 p.m.

Family and friends of Jay Slater have vowed to continue searching for the missing teenager in Tenerife after police called off their search.

It is almost two weeks since the 19-year-old from Lancashire was last seen.

The Civil Guard had called for volunteers on Saturday to take part in a “massive search” in the Masca area on the island.

However, police confirmed on Sunday that the search had ended, but that they were keeping the investigation open.

Despite this, family friend Rachel Hargreaves said Mr Slater's relatives had no plans to leave the island.

Ms Hargreaves, the mother of Mr Slater's best friend Brad Hargreaves, said: “We just keep looking for ourselves.”

She said they were continuing to cooperate with TikTok climber Paul Arnott, who helped with the search last week.

She added: “We are looking for anyone with mountain rescue experience and will continue to search the area.”

Mr Slater disappeared on June 17 at Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda, near Masca.

His search required the help of a helicopter, drones and a dog unit specializing in large area searches.

He attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and his last known location was Teno Rural Park in the north of the island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

Learn more: Jay Slater's father 'disappointed' only six volunteers joined Tenerife hunt as desperate search continues

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

A helicopter, drones and a dog unit specialized in searching large areas have arrived from Madrid, and the Guardia Civil maintains that all hypotheses remain open.

Spanish police also confirmed that two Britons potentially involved were “not relevant” despite speculation.

There has been mystery surrounding two British men who traveled north towards Masca from the festival with Mr Slater, but police said in an update that this was “not relevant”.

Mr Slater attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and his last known location was Teno Rural Park in the north of the island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation .

Mr Slater's friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV's This Morning on Friday that he had a video call with him before his disappearance when he heard him leave the road.

He said: “He was on the phone, walking down a road and he had overtaken a bit – not a big fall – but a very small fall 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 him 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.

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