Jay Slater Search Concludes in Tenerife: Police Cease Operations
The search for Jay Slater, a missing British teenager, has been officially concluded by Tenerife police.
“The search operation has ended. Yesterday marked the final day,” confirmed the Guardia Civil to the BBC.
Jay Slater, a 19-year-old from Lancashire, disappeared on June 17 after informing a friend that he was lost in the mountains. Despite an intensive search involving dozens of emergency workers near the village of Masca in the Rural de Teno National Park, no trace of him has been found.
Though the active search has ceased, the investigation remains ongoing, according to a Guardia Civil spokeswoman who told Reuters, “The case is still open with several lines of investigation.”
In the two weeks since Slater went missing, Spanish authorities have deployed helicopters, search dogs, and drones in an extensive search effort. Despite exploring empty caves and navigating a vast, rugged landscape, their efforts have been fruitless.
A new search was launched on Saturday, focusing on an area previously examined but aiming for a more thorough exploration. However, the turnout was less than expected, with fewer than a dozen volunteers with specialist mountain experience arriving to assist.
Nick Garnett/BBC: A man and his dog during the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, with huge mountains in the background.
By Sunday morning, no emergency personnel or vehicles remained in Masca.
PA: A search team member with her search dog near Masca, Tenerife. Reuters: A Guardia Civil helicopter searches for Jay Slater in the Masca ravine.
Jay Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, had attended the NRG music festival on June 16. He was last seen getting into a car with two British men in Playa de las Americas.
The next morning, he was tagged in a Snapchat photo at 07:30 BST at an Airbnb in Masca, reportedly rented by the two men. Investigators have spoken to the men, who are not considered relevant to the case.
Mohamed Madi/BBC: A missing person poster put up by Jay Slater’s family in Tenerife. Jay Slater’s father and brother have been posting flyers in Santiago del Teide, at the base of the national park.
Slater last made contact before 09:00 BST on June 17, calling a friend from the Rural de Teno Park to say he missed the bus and was attempting a 10-hour walk back to their accommodation in the south of the island.
Lucy Law recounted Slater’s frantic phone call, where he mentioned being “lost in the mountains” with a dying phone battery. Best friend Brad Hargreaves received a video call from Slater around the same time, showing him sliding off a designated path.
PA: Firefighters search the rough terrain near Masca, Tenerife. “The area near where Slater was last seen is notoriously difficult to navigate,” said Hargreaves.
A GoFundMe campaign, “Get Jay Slater Home,” set up by Ms. Law, has raised over £43,000 as the police search concluded.
Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, who traveled to the island during the search, expressed gratitude for the support. The funds will assist mountain rescue teams and cover her accommodation and food costs.
“Jay is a wonderful, bubbly young man with hundreds of friends who love his company,” Duncan said. “He’s gorgeous, he’s beautiful. He’s my baby.”
Lancashire police directed inquiries about the search’s conclusion to the Guardia Civil, emphasizing their role in supporting Slater’s family.