Specialized search dogs brought in to search for missing teenager

Specialist search dogs have been recruited from the Spanish capital Madrid to help in the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, was last seen in Tenerife on the morning of Monday June 17.

Mr Slater had traveled to the village of Masca, in the north-west of the country, after attending the NRG music festival on Sunday evening.

The apprentice mason called a friend he was staying with at around 8.30am the next morning to say he was returning to his accommodation in the southern town of Los Cristianos after missing a bus.

During the short phone call, he said he would walk instead — a journey that would take 11 hours on foot and involve walking through mountainous terrain.

He also said he was lost, needed water and only had 1% charge on his phone.

Police, mountain rescuers and Mr Slater's family continue to try to find the British teenager, with the search now in its ninth day.

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Tenerife Police today confirmed that several dogs from Madrid will join search and rescue efforts.

The force said: “The Civil Guard is continuing the search for the missing British boy in the Masca district, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte (Tenerife), in which different units of the Civil Guard are participating.

“In addition, today several canine guides of the Civil Guard dispatched from Madrid with their canine agents specialized in searching for people over large areas of land, belonging to the Cynological Service of the Civil Guard. »

Teenager seen 'walking fast' before disappearing

Mr Slater's mother, father and brother all traveled to Tenerife to help with the search.

His father, Warren Slater, said Monday that while some officers had been “brilliant,” he was frustrated by the lack of communication from others.

The family also shared a blurry CCTV image of what they believe to be the missing teenager in a town near Masca, around 10 hours after he first disappeared.

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The last person to see Mr. Slater was Masca resident Ofelia Medina Hernandez, who spoke to the teenager at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 17.

Ms Hernandez said she told him a bus was due to arrive at 10am as he was apparently hoping to return to his accommodation.

However, he started walking – and she said she then drove past him because he was “walking fast”.

Last week, photographs emerged showing the Tenerife property where Mr Slater is believed to have been before his disappearance.

Rumors and conspiracy theories about his disappearance have since circulated online, with social media users speculating on platforms including TikTok and Facebook.

Some online sleuths have even traveled to Tenerife to try to track down Mr Slater.