A private investigator claims the police in Tenerife halted their search for Jay Slater too soon. Army reservist Juan García believes the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, who disappeared on June 17, could still be alive, potentially surviving on plants and rainwater.
Jay was last heard from over two weeks ago when he called a friend, saying he was “lost in the middle of nowhere.” He had been staying at a remote Airbnb with two British men on the island’s northwest, leaving early the next morning.
Missing the bus, he began the 11-hour walk back to his holiday accommodation. At around 8:50 am, he made a final desperate call to his friend Lucy, saying he had no water and just one percent battery left on his phone.
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This triggered a massive search operation involving drones, sniffer dogs, helicopters, and officers searching on foot, focusing on a 2,000ft ravine in the desolate Rural de Teno park. However, less than two weeks into the search, authorities called it off, leaving Jay’s family feeling blindsided.
Search expert García criticized the early end to the search, telling The Times, “Two weeks is too premature to end the search. [Slater] could be alive somewhere — someone can drink from rainwater and eat plants. The family should not give up hope.” García, 53, who has assisted in several search missions in the area, urged the family to use part of the £49,000 raised on GoFundMe to fund an independent search.
Detectives have pledged to continue investigating and follow up on new tips, but the abrupt end to the official search was a devastating blow for Jay’s family. A source close to them revealed it was the “nightmare scenario” they had feared. On Saturday, around 30 police officers, firefighters, and volunteers made a final push in the mountains near Masca but found no trace of Jay.
A UK-based source in regular contact with Jay’s family, “Jay’s family knew the search would eventually wind down. They get that. But it was a nightmare scenario they didn’t want to think about. And it wasn’t something they thought would happen so quickly. So for the decision to be made after just two weeks has left them bewildered and bereft.”
On Monday, Jay’s parents, Debbie and Warren, pleaded with the police not to give up on their son during a crucial meeting. Warren, who was searching a narrow ravine near Masca, expressed frustration and anger over the lack of progress and information from the police. He told, “I’ve gone past the sadness bit and I’m angry, if that makes any sense. I’m angry that nothing’s happened.”
The family’s frustrations have driven Warren to conduct his own investigation. “The police here are doing their own investigations. They’re not really telling us anything, they’re not telling you lot anything, we’re in the dark,” he said. “All I’m doing is a Colombo bit myself. I mean, he might be on here, you never know, but as a dad, I don’t want him to be.”
Meanwhile, Ayub Qassim, one of the British men who took Jay to the Airbnb, claims he did so because Jay’s friends had abandoned him. Qassim, 31, who rented the £40-a-night holiday let under a different surname and has a criminal past, stated, “I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go.
His friends had all left him. I know Jay through friends. I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them. I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
Jay’s father, Warren, remains skeptical, questioning why his teenage son ended up with two grown men. He believes the investigation should focus on the Airbnb. “My only question is, and this is where you start the investigation from, why did two grown men take a young boy to a valley to a bed and breakfast? I can’t understand that. Why? Why? You need to ask them why and then start from there,” he told.
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, a TV investigator aiding the family, claimed Jay left the Airbnb feeling scared. According to Williams-Thomas, Jay did not want to return to the holiday let despite needing water and having little phone battery.
He told friends he “couldn’t do that” and was already a 30-minute walk away. Additionally, Jay reportedly admitted to stealing a pricey Rolex in a Snapchat message to friends while en route to the Airbnb.
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