Jay Slater: 'We just need you home' says mum of missing teenager as search continues
Jay Slater’s mom begged for him to come back home as she made a heartfelt plea to her son who has been missing in Tenerife since Monday.
Mr Slater, a 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, went missing as he tried to walk back to his hotel after a long day exploring the Spanish island with his two friends.
Search and rescue teams have been looking for him for six days, and on Saturday they kept looking through a deep ravine that is 2,000 feet deep in the isolated Teno Nature Reserve, which looks like a desert.
Debbie Duncan, who is 55 years old and flew to Tenerife on Tuesday to assist in the search for her son, expressed on Saturday: "We simply want him back home with us."
She mentioned that she hasn't slept and is determined to keep fighting for her son.
Yesterday, she shared a new sighting of her son that indicated he might have been spotted with two males on Monday evening.
A firefighter surveys the town of Masca, Tenerife, while the search for Jay Slater continued on Saturday.
Mr. Slater went to the three-day NRG music festival on the island with his friends before he went missing.
The novice bricklayer reportedly left the festival on Sunday with two individuals he had met there, making their way back to their accommodations in a secluded, mountainous region of Tenerife.
He was last in touch at about 8:30 in the morning on Monday, when he urgently contacted his friend Lucy Law. He explained that he was lost after leaving the villa and attempting to walk back to where he was staying, because he had missed the bus.
He told us that he had injured his leg on a cactus and didn't know his whereabouts, and requested for some water.
Walking from where Mr. Slater was last seen to his place of stay would have taken approximately 11 hours on foot.
At the end of the sixth day of searching for Mr. Slater on Saturday night, Ms. Duncan expressed her exhaustion and despair, stating that she had been unable to sleep and was feeling terrible. Despite the difficulties, she remains determined not to give up on their search for him.
When asked about how her family was dealing with the situation, Ms. Duncan responded on Saturday night, "We're not. I'm struggling to handle it."
Jay Slater, who is 19 years old, is nowhere to be found.
Lancashire police offered to help the Guardia Civil with extra resources, but the Spanish authorities turned down the offer.
When asked if Spanish authorities should have taken assistance from the UK police, Ms. Duncan responded by saying she thinks they stated that they have sufficient resources and do not require help from the English police.
"I'm not sure if they take it as an offense - I truly have no idea."
When questioned if she was feeling overwhelmed by the events of the last few days, she replied, "Yes, my head is spinning."
"People may claim to comprehend, but the truth is, they don't truly grasp the situation."
The groups searching for Mr. Slater appeared to be smaller on Saturday, with only a few emergency workers seen in Masca and its nearby areas.
Firefighters were seen leading the most recent search efforts, with rescue teams and sniffer dogs heading out on a steep gravel path at Rural de Teno Park early in the day.
Guardia Civil officers were close to the village of Masca in Tenerife over the weekend.
Ms. Duncan expressed to the Guardian that she believed the police had increased their response.
She expressed concern that something bad had happened to her son.
In an interview with MailOnline, she shared that there was updated information about a possible sighting of Mr. Slater.
She stated: "A witness reports seeing a person who they believed to be Jay walking back on the road and sitting on a bench."
"He was seen with two unkempt men near a church. One of them has reported the incident to the police, who are now investigating. We can't confirmed if it was Jay, but it's a good starting point."
She claimed to have seen him around 6pm, which was approximately 10 hours after he was last spotted.
One person from the search team was photographed with a search dog on Saturday.
"But why was he there and who are those two men?" she questioned. "All I can say is that I will remain here until they find Jay. I won't leave unless he's with me. I will stay put until they locate him."
Rescue squads, along with search dogs, began their journey on a steep dirt path at Rural de Teno Park in the southern part of the island on Saturday morning.
After the NRG music festival ended on Sunday night, Mr. Slater parted ways with his friends and reportedly decided to accompany individuals he met at the event back to their apartment located in a remote area far from the city.
The most recent communication we had from him was on Monday morning when he called his friend Lucy Law. He told her that he was lost after he missed a bus and tried to walk back to their accommodation in the southern part of the island.
He mentioned that he was thirsty and had injured his leg on a cactus.
Ms. Law mentioned that during the urgent phone call, Mr. Slater expressed being disoriented in the mountains, not knowing where he was, feeling extremely thirsty, and having only one percent battery left on his phone.
We are saddened to report that Jay Slater, 19 is missing and his whereabouts are currently unknown. Our hearts are heavy as we await news about his health and safety. Please join us in sending positive thoughts and well wishes to Jay and his loved ones during this difficult time.
Many police officers, mountain rescue teams, and firefighters have been looking for Mr. Slater, using sniffer dogs, drones, and a helicopter in their search effort on Wednesday.
On Thursday, search teams were spotted clearing garbage from the location in an effort to determine his location, according to the report by the BBC.
The spokesperson for the emergency services stated on Thursday that based on the information available, all possibilities are being considered and no hypothesis is being ruled out.
The inquiry revealed that the teenager was likely in the remote, wooded area above the shoreline of the island, according to her.
In a recent update on the "Jay Slater Missing" page, Rachel Louise Harg, who manages the page, said that the loved ones of Mr. Slater are going through a very difficult and traumatic experience.
Having a hard time expressing myself right now, but I just want to say that we are still searching and everyone is putting in maximum effort, she wrote.
We are so exhausted that I am speechless - I simply can't express it anymore, I wish I could.
I want this to stop now, this terrible experience. We are still looking and staying hopeful.
A rescue worker informed the news agency Reuters that a family member received a message from Mr. Slater before he disappeared, stating that he had hurt his leg.
Video has surfaced on the internet showing Mr. Slater partying at a music festival called NRG before he disappeared.
The video, believed to be the final recording of the teen who disappeared, captures him navigating through the crowded Tenerife nightclub wearing sunglasses on his head.
A helicopter was looking for Mr. Slater on Thursday.
Mr Slater reportedly shared a picture on Snapchat of himself at a villa in northern Tenerife, just before his phone died on Monday morning.
His acquaintance, Ms. Law, found the villa and is said to have conversed with the two individuals he had visited there with, according to the Times.
She explained that the men informed her that Mr. Slater went outside for a cigarette and then expressed his desire to go home. According to them, he declined their offers to give him a ride home the next morning, stating that he would rather walk.
She mentioned that there were still "numerous questions that have not been addressed."
She mentioned that the two men accompanying Mr. Slater, who are believed to be from Britain, have departed Tenerife. She expressed her desire for them to be interrogated by authorities in the United Kingdom.
When Jay Slater's phone lost signal, his most recent location was in Rural de Teno park – a mountainous spot frequented by hikers.
Many of Mr. Slater's family members and close friends have traveled to Tenerife to help with the search, according to the Times.
A local church in the town where Mr. Slater lives organized a special service full of hope for the teenager who disappeared during his first solo vacation.
His loved ones, relatives, and neighbors came together, wearing blue ribbons as a sign of solidarity. They prayed for his safe return and left heartfelt messages for him.
A close friend who knew Mr. Slater for a long time shared with Sky News that he was a popular figure in Oswaldtwistle and was known as someone who brought a lot of energy and fun to social gatherings. They described him as always having a smile on his face and being a cheerful and happy person.
Rescue teams in the area of Masca, Tenerife, are still looking for Jay Slater, a 19-year-old boy from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, who went missing. The search is ongoing as of Friday.
"He always seems to be in a good mood, no matter where you spot him. His face is always lit up with a smile. We can only hope that someone has information that will help him be located."
Mr. Slater's outfit consisted of a white T-shirt, shorts, trainers, and a black bag when he was last spotted.
Ms Duncan described the experience of looking for her son as a complete and utter nightmare.
In an interview with ITV News, she expressed her despair and sorrow, saying, "I wouldn't want anyone to experience this. I simply want my child returned to me...The area is vast. He must be out there somewhere, or someone must know where he is."
She said, "I regret pushing him to go on this trip. I should have told him not to go to Tenerife."
I believe he was still feeling excited and energetic, as he seemed a bit disoriented.
"He doesn't realize the full extent of the arduous journey he took to reach that point."
"He made a decision to walk and reportedly told the last person he spoke to about it."
Speaking about her son, Ms. Duncan expressed: "He's full of energy and joy, he's a wonderful child."
Ms. Law started a fundraiser to gather money for the search of Mr. Slater, and so far, it has received more than £24,000.
The Spanish Civil Guard informed the Times that they are making every effort to locate him.
The Lancashire police stated that they were helping Mr. Slater's family and were in contact with the British consulate in Tenerife.
A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office mentioned that they are helping the family of a British man who has been reported as not being found in Spain. They are also talking to the local authorities for assistance.
