The search operation for missing Jay Slater was officially called off on Saturday after exhaustive efforts failed to locate the 19-year-old, who vanished on June 17 while attending the NRG rave festival in Tenerife with friends.
Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, was last seen in the rugged Rural de Teno region after making a trip from his Airbnb in Masca, which is a gruelling 11-hour trek from the AirBnB he was staying at in the island’s south.
Despite nearly two weeks of searching, the Spanish Guardia Civil announced they were ceasing their operations on Saturday.
In a final push, authorities had appealed for ‘private volunteers’ skilled in navigating challenging landscapes to join the search this past Saturday. The operation concentrated on the treacherous ravines and paths near Masca, where Jay was last spotted.
Specialist volunteer groups, including firefighters and civil protection units, were summoned to commence the search from the Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda restaurant at 9am on Saturday.
A spokesperson highlighted the difficulty of the terrain, describing it as “a steep, rocky area, full of unevenness and with a multitude of ravines, trails and paths.”
However, the demanding conditions and sweltering 23C heat deterred many from participating, according to reports.
Only a handful of people turned up to help find Jay Slater, leaving his dad Warren Slater, 58, feeling let down.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “It’s a bit disappointing that there are no British apart from Paul [Arnott], but I suppose to them he’s just a British lad who’s come out here and got drunk.”
Warren also hit back at those criticising the family online for not joining the search, explaining the dangers involved: “I’m grateful to those who have come out here because you can see just how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who are having a go at us for not searching. It’s not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our position would you go out in these conditions?”
He continued to express his gratitude towards the professionals conducting the search: “It’s tough, it’s hard, we are leaving it to the professionals and I’m grateful for those who have turned out today and I want to thank them for what they are doing.”
Ex-British policeman Mark Williams-Thomas, 54, suggested that they hire a cadre of experts for an independent investigation.
Speaking just hours after the official search was called off, he said: “The police have put considerable resources into searching for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the search by the police has now ended. I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area from where we know Jay last was.”
