Jay Slater's friend stirs up further confusion by claiming the teen met mystery men days before spending the night at an Airbnb and disappearing

Mr Martin said the two men had no connection with Jay's disappearance.

He said: “We are mountain specialists and we are in charge of the searches here, and it is the investigators of the Civil Guard who have been in charge of the investigation.

“These men have been questioned and they have no connection with the case.”

But former detective Mark – who worked on the Madeleine McCann case – claims to have pieced together the mystery and believes the duo could help.

They are both said to be aged between 30 and 40 and from Luton, Bedfordshire, with one nicknamed 'Johnny Vegas'.

None of them would have been at the NRG music festival where Jay spent the day partying before disappearing.

“The family is desperate for these men to come forward as witnesses. They are not assisting at the moment,” Mark added.

“The group sat outside on the wall outside the club after the night ended. Witnesses say he seemed completely in control of himself.

“What we don't know is why he left with them.”

“Massive” research is underway

Tenerfife police launched a massive search operation on Saturday to find the Briton who had been missing for two weeks.

The search for missing Jay reached a turning point this weekend with cops seeking help from expert explorers and climbers as they scour the mountains where Jay may have gotten lost.

However, only six volunteers came forward, said TikToker Paul Arnott, 29, who flew in to help with the search.

Jay's father Warren and older brother Zak were spotted at the search site.

Warren spoke from the mountainside, saying: “It's a bit disappointing that there are no Brits apart from Paul, but I suppose to them he's just a young Brit who came here and got drunk.

“I'm grateful to those who came here because you can see how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who attack us because we're not looking.

“This is not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our shoes, would you go out in these conditions?

“It's tough, it's tough, we leave it to the professionals and I'm grateful to those who came today and I want to thank them for what they do.”

Despite the police's massive appeal for volunteer experts, it is unclear why the call for help was not answered by more people.

Spanish police also refused help from their British counterparts, saying they had all the resources they needed as of last week.

A source told The Sun: “We have a feeling this weekend is going to be absolutely crucial. A tremendous amount of resources and effort are being expended in the next 48 hours.

“It's not all or nothing, but investigators are sincerely hoping that this weekend will provide the breakthrough they are hoping for.”

Police also announced they were opening an investigation into the theft of a Rolex watch hours before Jay's disappearance.

Taxi drivers and bar staff who were working near the Papagayo Beach Club on June 17 are set to be questioned by investigators after a fight reportedly broke out on the Tenerife beach.

Jay was seen partying at the busy venue shortly before it closed.

It is unclear how Jay's disappearance could be linked to the incident – but officers are said to be examining CCTV footage from security cameras.

And now cops are hoping to speak to new witnesses who may have seen the fight unfold – and have information about Jay.

A source in Tenerife told The Sun: “Any leads that could provide information on Jay's whereabouts will be investigated.”