The construction company employing missing British teenager Jay Slater has voiced concerns that the online portrayal of him is inaccurate.
Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, has been missing in Tenerife since Monday morning.
Since his disappearance, various rumours and conspiracy theories have surfaced online, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook.
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However, on Sunday, PH Build, where Mr. Slater works as an apprentice bricklayer, defended the teenager against these misrepresentations. In a Facebook post, the firm stated, “Our Jay is still missing! We have decided to remove our last post due to all the negative comments and conspiracy theories. Jay has been with us since he left school and is liked by all.
He’s a valued member of our team and we stand by him. The picture being painted of him is just not true. The fact is he’s a 19-year-old lad missing in a foreign country. He needs to be back home where he belongs. Come on Jay we are all praying for you.”
Mr. Slater’s family has flown to the Spanish island to aid police and mountain rescuers in their search efforts.
A GoFundMe appeal initiated by a friend of Mr. Slater has raised over £30,000 to support the search. His mother, Debbie Duncan, expressed gratitude for the donations over the weekend, stating that they have not yet used the funds and are currently covering the expenses for the trip and accommodation themselves.
On Sunday, search officers were seen focusing on two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park, the last known location of Mr. Slater’s phone signal before the battery died. This marks a shift in focus after several days of searching in the northwestern mountain village of Masca and its surroundings. Searchers on the seventh day were seen inspecting blue barrels outside one of the small buildings.
Mr. Slater attended the NRG festival in southern Tenerife on June 16 before heading to Masca with two acquaintances from the event. His holiday companions have not seen him since last Sunday night, but he did contact one of them on Monday morning, stating he was lost, dehydrated, and had only 1% battery left on his phone. During the brief call, he informed his friend Lucy Law that he missed a bus and was attempting to walk back to his accommodation, a journey estimated to take 11 hours.
In a heartfelt plea, his mother urged her son to return home, saying, “We just need you home.” Ms. Duncan admitted she has “not slept” since his disappearance. When asked about how the family is coping, she confessed, “We’re not. I’m not coping very well at all. I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t.”
The last person to see Mr. Slater was Masca local Ofelia Medina Hernandez, who informed him about the bus schedule. She recalled seeing him “walking fast” after he set off.
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