Tragic development in Jay Slater case 15 days after British teenager disappeared in Tenerife – World News

The mother of missing Jay Slater has released a heartbreaking statement after 15 days of worrying about the fate of her teenage son.

Just over two weeks ago, Debbie Duncan’s life was turned upside down when her 19-year-old son Jay went missing. He was last heard from in the northwest of Tenerife, after staying in an Airbnb in Masca on June 17. He told a friend, Lucy Law, that he planned to walk back to the south of the island before his phone battery died.

Jay's friends and family have been travelling to the island during the search. A GoFundMe page set up by Jay's friend Lucy Law for his family has so far raised more than £47,000, and Debbie said the money raised online would go towards supporting mountain rescue teams, as well as covering accommodation and food costs.

Spanish police have been working tirelessly to carry out a major search operation in the hunt for Jay, but the search was called off last Sunday after there was no sign of the Lancashire teenager.

READ MORE: Jay Slater mystery deepens as Spanish residents point out feature that was 'supposed to make him safer'

Just 48 hours after officers called off the search, Jay's parents, Warren Slater, 58, and Debbie Duncan, 55, were seen leaving the Guardia Civil police station in the Las Americas area of ​​Tenerife on Tuesday afternoon after spending several hours liaising with police.

A tragic update

On Tuesday, July 2, 15 days after Jay was reported missing, Debbie gave a tragic update. She confirmed that the family “does not “We have no information about his whereabouts,” but we praised the efforts of the police in Spain and said their investigation into what happened was still ongoing.

In her first public comment since the search ended, Debbie expressed her deep devastation, saying: “Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are going through. He is our beautiful boy, he has his whole life ahead of him and we just want him back.

Debbie's full statement:

“My son, Jay Dean Slater, came to the island of Tenerife on June 13th with his friend to attend a music festival. On June 17th, after not returning to his apartment, he was reported missing. Jay is a normal boy who is in his third year of apprenticeship and is a very popular young man with a wide circle of friends.

“We are a very close family and we are absolutely devastated by his loss. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we feel. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want him back.

“We have no information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil has been working tirelessly in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced. They conducted a field search for 12 days using all the resources at their disposal. Although the field search has ended, the Spanish police are still investigating why Jay went to this location so far from his home.

“We extend our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow up on the leads in the investigation. We want to say to the press, journalists and reporters that while we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay's disappearance, we very much want to preserve our privacy and, most importantly, let the Spanish police continue their investigation without being bothered by the press.”

“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites and can only describe this as despicable, the negative comments are extremely distressing for our family.

“We also acknowledge the love and support we have received from around the world. This has not gone unnoticed, particularly in his hometown of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. As a family, we would like the world to respect our privacy at this time.”