The family of the missing Lancashire 19-year-old Jay Slater has hit out at some of the “vile” comments and theories swirling among online sleuths and TikTok experts, as the investigation into his disappearance moves into a new stage.
The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle went on holiday with his friends around three weeks ago and attended a music festival in Tenerife. But four days into their trip on June 17, the British teen had vanished without a trace.
After a huge 13-day operation, Spanish authorities called off the police and search teams scouring a rugged area of the island near the town of Masca on Sunday. However, they have promised to continue their investigation into his disappearance.
In a public statement on Tuesday night, Jay’s mum provided an update on this investigation and urged the media and the public to let the Spanish police do their jobs.
But their heartbreak has been made worse by some of the conspiracy theories about Jay’s disappearance circulating online. They said: “We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.”
According to the family, a key focus is now on figuring out why Jay went missing so far from his accommodation.
Jay Slater’s family statement in full
“My son, Jay Dean Slater, came to the holiday island of Tenerife on the 13th of June with his friend to attend a music festival. On the 17th of June after not returning to his apartment he was reported as a missing person. Jay is a normal guy who is in his 3rd year of an apprenticeship, and he is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends.
“We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.
“We do not have any information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced. They conducted a land search for 12 days which involved every resource they had available.
“Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation.
“We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of enquiries.
“We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.
“We also embrace the love and support we have received from across the globe. It has not gone unnoticed, especially his home town in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this present time.”
