Jay Slater's family has received renewed hope as a former detective - who probed investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley - has offered to help locate the teenager.
Mark Williams-Thomas, 54, also helped expose Jimmy Savile and his documentary in October 2012 prompted the Met Police to launch Operation Yewtree. The investigator turned journalist tweeted: "I have this morning reached out to missing Jay Slater's mum offering the help of my team to get her answers as to what has happened to Jay. Lots of speculation about what could have happened and if they give me total access and with feet on the ground I will very quickly be able to say if his disappearance is him alone or if it has third party involvement."
Jay's brother Zak, meanwhile, has opened up on the family's anguish and bewilderment as the search for the teen who vanished after attending a music festival on Tenerife enters its seventh day.
Zak, 24, said: “I just wish he’d come home. We just want him to come back. We don’t know where he is or what’s happened. We just want him back. I just want him to come home safe.”
And a new video shows missing Jay appearing to dance topless in a nightclub on the night before he disappeared. Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, is known to have left the NRG music event on Tenerife by car with two men and stayed the night at an Airbnb in the rugged Rural de Teno Park in the north west of the island before vanishing on Monday morning.
Follow our live blog below for updates...
Bradley Jolly
Jay Slater's dad and brother put up missing posters four miles from the rental property
Jay's dad Warren and Jay's older brother Zak today put up missing posters in Santiago del Teide - where a witness has told police they believe they saw the 19-year-old at about 6pm on Monday night.
The picturesque village is nearly four miles from the rental property in Mesca, where Jay had last been confirmed to have been seen around ten hours earlier.
Bradley Jolly
Desperate plea for people to stop sharing TikTok stories as these 'aren’t true'
One friend, close to the investigation, posted on its official Facebook page for the search. She pleaded people refrain from sharing TikTok content as these are often false. Mainstream media, including the Mirror, has been reporting live from Tenerife since the search intensified.
The pal wrote: "Can everyone stop believing everything they see on TikTok, the stories aren’t true and just things people are making up. I honestly think it’s disgusting there is people going live with the caption “finding jay” if you are helping to find jay then do it without using him as a way to gain followers he isn’t just a pawn in ur way to get fame. This is somebody’s son and friend and there is people who are genuinely worried. From what I know there hasn’t been any updates."
Bradley Jolly
Jay Slater's mother speaks out following GoFundMe success
Jay's worried mum, Debbie Duncan, 55, released a statement today thanking the public for their generosity on the GoFundMe page. She wrote: "Hi everyone, this is Debbie, Jay's mother. Thank you all for your generosity and kindness during this difficult time. We are extremely worried and are doing everything we can to find Jay. Please continue to share our fundraiser far and wide. Your support means the world to us, and we are grateful for any help you can provide."
Debbie reassured those contributing to the page that the money wouldn't be used for anything over than expenses to remain in Tenerife. At least 15 of Jay's family and friends have flown out to the holiday island as rescue efforts enter the seventh day.
Jay's mum Debbie is accompanied by his dad Warren Slater and brother Zak. Debbie wrote: "I wanted to confirm that this is the only GoFundMe fundraiser approved by our family.
"We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves. The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page."
KEY EVENT
Jay Slater’s best friend Lucy Law raises £30,000 in just three days
The fundraising page set up to raise money for the family of missing British teenager Jay Slater has surpassed its goal in just three days.
Lucy Law aimed to collect £30,000 to support Jay's family as they search for the apprentice bricklayer, aged 19, in Tenerife. Now the GoFundMe sits at more than £30,500, just days after it was created.
But several rogue pages were also created by scammers, and GoFundMe had to issue a statement in which it said all campaigns were "under review". One was identified as the genuine page and it's this one which continues to bring in donations to support the family, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
Jay Slater’s best friend Lucy Law raises £30,000 in just three days
Bradley Jolly
Jay Slater vanished in a 'treacherous' area in the Rural de Teno Park
Jay Slater is thought to have gone missing in a "treacherous" area of the nature reserve.
It’s steep, dangerous and extremely remote. Searches are ongoing but proving extremely challenging for specialist teams, according to a reporter at Manchester Evening News who is at the scene.
— James Holt - M.E.N (@jameshjourno) June 23, 2024This is just to give you an idea of the “treacherous” area in which Jay is thought to have gone missing.
It’s steep, dangerous and extremely remote. Searches are ongoing but proving extremely challenging for specialist teams.@MENnewsdesk pic.twitter.com/FSTAZVhweO
KEY EVENT
See tweet in full of investigator who probed Nicola Bulley mystery
A former detective who helped expose Jimmy Savile and investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley has offered to help locate Jay Slater.
Mark Williams-Thomas revealed that former television host and radio personality Savile was a prolific paedophile in his award-winning film in October 2012. The documentary shook the entertainment industry and the revelations prompted the Met Police to launch Operation Yewtree.
Now he has revealed he has today 'reached out' to Debbie Duncan. Taking to X this afternoon, he told his followers: "I have this morning reached out to missing Jay Slater's mum offering the help of my team to get her answers as to what has happened to Jay.
"Lots of speculation about what could have happened and if they give me total access and with feet on the ground I will very quickly be able to say if his disappearance is him alone or if it has third party involvement."
Investigator who probed Nicola Bulley mystery offers help as search team gives update
I have this morning reached out to missing Jay Slater’s mum offering the help of my team to get her answers as to what has happened to Jay . Lots of speculation about what could have happened and if they give me total access and with feet on the ground I will very quickly be able… pic.twitter.com/5HMnvo4sQt
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) June 23, 2024
KEY EVENT
NRG music festival speaks out amid Jay Slater search
The music festival which Jay is said to have attended the night before he vanished has issued a public statement, saying it is are "devastated" by his disappearance and it had given "practical" support to family who have flown out to the Spanish island.
"Firstly, thank you to everyone who came to our NRG event in Tenerife last weekend," NRG's statement, posted to Instagram, said.
"As you'll be aware, among the attendees was 19-year-old Jay Slater who, after leaving the event, was reported missing in the north of the island on Monday.
"We are grateful for the many thousands who have engaged with and shared the appeals from our own and many other channels over the days since," the statement continued.
"Despite the widespread coverage and hard work of the local authorities and volunteers involved in the search, at the time of posting Jay has not yet been found. That such a devastating situation has arisen has deeply affected us all.
"We have been able to give some practical support to the members of Jay's family who have come to Tenerife in such difficult circumstances, and we are inspired by their resilience and determination.
"Like them, and you, we continue to hope for Jay's safe return. The authorities in Tenerife can be contacted with any information which may be of help on local numbers 062 or 112. Thanks for your support."
Sam Elliott-Gibbs
Search continues in a new area slightly further up the mountain
The hunt is continuing in a new area slightly further up the mountain from the spot where Jay Slater was last seen.
So far, the operation has concentrated on three different areas of Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve by an Airbnb which Jay left on Monday.
He attempted to return to the south of Tenerife where he had been based on the holiday.
After being unable to find the teenager, police and rescue teams are now expanding the search with a new area now being scoured.
Tim Hanlon
Three key areas of focus in search for missing teen Jay Slater
A search and rescue operation looking for Jay Slater is focusing on three areas, says a member of the team.
Officers gathered for a seventh day in the north west of Tenerife as they search for the 19-year-old who has not been heard from since last Monday morning. They are scouring mountainous conditions which are known to be treacherous not just for the rocky terrain but the extreme weather conditions.
During the week the operation has concentrated on three different areas of Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve by an Airbnb which Jay left on Monday as he attempted to return to the south of Tenerife where he had been based on the holiday.
Jay left an NRG music event by car with two men and stayed the night at an Airbnb in Masca. The owner of the accommodation was the last person to see him as he enquired about the next bus to leave.
Rescue workers wearing hard hats and other specialist mountain equipment have been focusing their search on the Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas, as well as the surrounding Masca area.
Patrick Hill
Search teams descend on small buildings after Jay Slater phone clue
Search teams attempting to locate missing British teenager Jay Slater were seen honing in on small buildings close to where his phone last pinged in Tenerife.
Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Island could be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park on Sunday. Efforts appeared to be solely focused on the one area after days of looking in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.
Those conducting the searches on the seventh day of the hunt for Jay could be seen looking into blue barrels outside one of the small buildings. The efforts come after the teenager’s mother issued a direct plea to her missing son, saying: “We just need you home.”
Debbie Duncan said she has “not slept” since the 19-year-old disappeared. She said she did not know whether the Spanish authorities turning down an offer of help from the UK was because they viewed it as “an insult”.
Tim Hanlon
Major statement from rave teen attended before vanishing
The rave missing teen Jay Slater attended before vanishing in Tenerife has issued a major statement as the search nears the one-week mark.
Organisers of the New Rave Generation festival that Jay attended before he went missing last week have released a public message on social media. Footage posted online has shown the 19-year-old dancing at the festival, with one video capturing him topless among the throngs of attendees.
The NRG Raves Instagram account thanked people for attending the festival, adding that they were "grateful" to people who have helped aid the search efforts. The post read: "Firstly, thank you to everyone who came to our NRG event in Tenerife last weekend."
It went on: "As you'll be aware, among the attendees was 19-year-old Jay Slater who, after leaving the event, was reported missing in the north of the island on Monday.
"We are grateful for the many thousands who have engaged with and shared the appeals from our own and many other channels over the days since."
The statement added that the "devastating situation" has "affected us all" and called on anyone who might have information to report to Spanish authorities. The organisers said staff have been able to provide "practical support" to family members who came to Tenerife as the searches began.
KEY EVENT
Former cop Mark Williams-Thomas offers to help Jay Slater's family in search
Former police officer Mark Williams-Thomas has reached out to Jay Slater’s family offering to help them.
The investigator turned journalist, wrote on Twitter: “I have this morning reached out to missing Jay Slater’s mum offering the help of my team to get her answers as to what has happened to Jay.
“Lots of speculation about what could have happened and if they give me total access and with feet on the ground I will very quickly be able to say if his disappearance is him alone or if it has third party involvement."
The 54-year-old also investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley last year.
Patrick Hill
Search teams descend on area of phone clue in hunt for Jay Slater
Search teams attempting to locate missing British teenager Jay Slater have narrowed their efforts on small buildings close to where his phone last pinged in Tenerife.
Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Island could be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park on Sunday.
Efforts appeared to be solely focused on the one area after days of searches in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.
Those conducting the searches on the seventh day of the hunt for Jay could be seen looking into blue barrels outside one of the small buildings.
Tim Hanlon
'Treacherous area where Jay Slater went missing is easy to get lost in'
A car rental owner and blogger who moved to Tenerife from the UK 10 years ago says the 'treacherous' area where teenager Jay Slater went missing is a 'huge area' where it is 'easy to get lost'.
Andrew Knight, 29, offered up a number of his vehicles from his company Sanasty Car Hire to assist with the ongoing search, after 19-year-old Jay, from Lancashire, vanished last Monday.
He has described the Masca and surrounding Rural de Teno reserve, where Jay was last known to have been, as 'treacherous and dangerous'. He told the Manchester Evening News that it would be 'easy to get lost' for inexperienced hikers.
"The landscape in Masca is treacherous and dangerous; steep cliffs, loose rocks, cacti everywhere and large ravines," he said. "It is extremely difficult to find someone in the landscape.
"It's a huge area, most of it difficult to walk or climb. It would be easy to get lost. Lots of the mountains all look the same, the hiking trails all lead into each other and it's difficult to work out when one ends and another begins if you are inexperienced.
"The police are working tirelessly along with volunteers, Guardia Civil and mountain rescue teams. I chose to help because there is a mother missing her son; the family and friends are distraught.
"I knew I could bring some exposure and attention through my social media channels and when I saw people were struggling to reach the area, I decided to offer some of the rental cars I have for free to use as getting to Masca is not easy and is 50 minutes away from the main Tenerife South Tourist area."
Tim Hanlon
Fire crews find 'increasingly strange' element in search for Jay Slater
A fireman involved in the search for Jay Slater has told how it is "increasingly strange" that the missing teen hasn't been found yet in Tenerife.
A major emergency service operation has been going on for seven days now to try and locate the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, who has not been heard from since last Monday morning.
And now a fireman, called Ricardo, from the Brigada Forestal, said how tough the conditions make it to find a missing person. "It's very difficult to find people here, because of the ravines and the mountains," he said. "I've seen the case and about the missing boy on the internet... but the days are now passing by and it's increasingly strange that he hasn't appeared yet."
He continued in an interview with the Manchester Evening News: "The information we have is that Jay [and his friends] were going to a music festival, and afterwards, the last sign of him was around here in the Teno Rural Park. I don't know if he was walking, hiking.. I just don't know. That's where I lose the thread."
Patrick Hill
'We don't know what has happened and we just want him home' says Jay Slater's brother
The brother of missing teenager Jay Slater has told how his family do not understand what has happened to him and just want him to come home.
Zak, 24, said: “I just wish he’d come home. We just want him to come back. We don’t know where he is or what’s happened. We just want him back. I just want him to come home safe.”
Tim Hanlon
Jay Slater dances topless in bombshell new video filmed hours before he vanished
A new video shows missing Jay Slater appearing to dance topless in a Tenerife nightclub on the night before he vanished as the search continues for him.
Jay, 19, is known to have left the NRG music event on Tenerife by car with two men and stayed the night at an Airbnb in the north west of the island before vanishing on Monday morning.
And now new footage on TikTok has been revealed of Jay in a nightclub where he appears to have his shirt off although that is not entirely clear. The clip lasting two minutes and 40 seconds suggests it was filmed at 1am in the early hours of Monday morning.
Captions on the footage include 'Jay Slater is seen in this video very disoriented' and 'The end footage is potentially a key piece for info - did he really have his top still on?' Some of the later images seem to suggest that he did have his top on and that it may have just been the lighting that made it appear he didn't.
The owner of the Airbnb accommodation was the last person confirmed to have seen him as he walked away after enquiring what time the next bus leaves so he could head back to the south of the island around 8am. He later contacted his friend Lucy Law, who he was on holiday with, to say that he was attempting to walk back which was a trek of about 10 hours and his phone battery was about to die.
Tim Hanlon
Who were two men seen with "worse for wear' man 10 hours after last Jay Slater sighting?
Jay Slater’s mother believes he may have been seen with two mystery men, about 10 hours after he was supposedly last spotted.
Jay, 19, left the NRG music event on Tenerife by car with two men and stayed the night at an Airbnb in the north west of the island.
His mum Debbie Duncan said yesterday there was a new potential sighting of him three and a half miles away from the Airbnb in Santiago del Teide in the early evening of Monday.
Speaking from the island, where she has joined the search, she said: “Someone has come forward to say they saw someone who they thought was Jay walking back down the road and sat on a bench. He was with two men looking a bit worse for wear, and they were by a church. Police are looking into it.
“We don’t know if it was Jay for sure but it’s a start. They said it was about 6pm which is 10 hours after he was seen by the lady in the village. If it was him, what was he doing there and who are these two men?”
Spanish police have not confirmed the new sighting and say his position before his phone battery died was the Rural de Teno park, a mountainous area near the village of Masca.
Tim Hanlon
Nearly a dozen Jay Slater GoFundMe pages by suspected scammers shut down
Nearly a dozen other GoFundMe pages related to Jay Slater have had to be shut down as suspected scams.
The crowdfunding platform said it had removed a number of fundraisers, stating that efforts were ongoing to verify the identity of the organisers and confirm donations would go to Jay's family.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Our hearts go out to Jay Slater, his family and everyone else concerned about his disappearance. All campaigns are under review and no money will be transferred unless we can verify it goes straight to his family. At moments like this, we often see people set up campaigns to benefit strangers when they are moved to help. That is why we work with organisers to ensure any money donated goes to the right place.
"GoFundMe has a dedicated Trust & Safety team reviewing all relevant fundraisers. In addition to the team of experts, we deploy proprietary technical tools and have multiple processes in place to verify the identity of organizers and the recipient of the fundraiser. Before money is transferred, an individual or organisation's information, including their banking information, must be verified."
Tim Hanlon
Jay Slater’s family staying in Tenerife ‘until we’ve got an outcome’
A family friend has said that those close to Jay Slater were staying in Tenerife “until we’ve got an outcome”.
Rachel Hargreaves said: “We’re here and we’re staying until we’ve got an outcome.”
Addressing the support the family had received from well-wishers, she said: “We’re happy for anyone who wants to help or anyone with information or anything like that – like I say we’re still living in hope that we’re going to get a positive outcome. We just feel like we’ll leave it to the professionals now, and that’s the best thing to do.”
The search parties for Jay seemed noticeably smaller on Saturday compared to other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in Masca and the surrounding areas. Firefighters appeared to conduct the majority of the latest searches, as rescue teams, alongside sniffer dogs, set off on a steep gravel track at Rural de Teno Park.
Tim Hanlon
Jay Slater’s mum hits out at online trolls over Karen Matthews insults
Jay Slater’s mum Debbie Duncan has slammed online trolls who are targeting her as the hunt continues for her missing son.
The family have been subjected to vile abuse on social media over the past week including some taunts comparing her to Karen Matthews who made a sick plot to have her daughter kidnapped for ransom.
Debbie is in Tenerife with the search now into its seventh day but she has not been able to bring herself to go to the location where Jay was last seen.
She said: “People keep asking on social media ‘why aren’t I up there?’ and calling me the new Karen Matthews. I just can’t face it.” Speaking from the hotel where the family are staying, Debbie added she did not hear anything new from the police on Saturday.
She added: “We’re all devastated. He’s just a normal boy from a little town in Lancashire. These things don’t happen. I was in touch with him while he is in Tenerife. He was just holidaying away, he’d saved up and was looking forward to it. I’ve not slept for five days. My brain isn’t functioning well and I’m tired and exhausted.”
Tim Hanlon
Heartbroken dad makes emotional visit to site of search for his son
The dad of missing teenager Jay Slater last night made an emotional visit to view the search for his son and sobbed: “I just want the boy back”.
Warren Slater, 58, was supported by Jay’s brother Zak at the scene in Masca, close to the spot where the apprentice bricklayer was last seen shortly after 8am on Monday morning.
As police and mountain experts continue the search, Warren and Zak were also joined nine of Jay's friends. It was the first time Jay’s family members had felt able to visit the area. Warren and Zak, 24, wrapped their arms around each other in solidarity while looking out onto the search.
The pair were also seen in tears while visiting the rental property where Jay was last seen. Jay’s mum Debbie, 55, who is estranged from Warren, did not feel strong enough to join them.
Debbie Duncan said: “I’m just exhausted. I’m still hopeful. I’m not feeling negative just yet. I know it’s five days. It’s not just that they’ve said absolutely not. I don’t know what it’s been like today because I’ve been advised to stay away because I would just break down. My boy might be just up there somewhere."
Mataeo Smith
Ex-detective asserts that there are now two crucial actions that need to be taken as search stretches into seventh day
Charlie Hedges, a missing people expert and former police officer, told The Sun that there are now two crucial measures that need to be followed in the hunt for Jay.
Former detective Hedges described how, in order to try to understand Jay's way of thinking, police must first create a profile of him that includes everything from his personality to his level of fitness.
They can try to piece together Jay's final movements and narrow down the search area by reassembling how he would have thought.
He said: “One is on the investigation side to investigate or understand Jay, what his personality is, what he's like, fitness, what he was doing - we know he was at the party and moved off.
Mataeo Smith
The family of a Celtics fan who went missing in Lanzarote for a year sympathises withJay Slater's family
Spanish police have informed the family of a missing Celtic fan in Lanzarote that the investigation into his disappearance is over.
On March 16, 2023, Gary Shearer of Renfrew disappeared a few hours after traveling to the nation by himself to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Family members of the 53-year-old are still in the dark about what transpired.
They claim that the news of missing teenager Jay Slater, who vanished on Tenerife, the other well-known Canary Island, this week has affected them.
His sister Debbie, 49, told the Daily Record: “The news of Jay Slater has brought all our raw emotions to the surface again. The past few days have been particularly hard for us hearing it all and we know only too well what his family is going through.. We just hope they get the answers they need.”
Mataeo Smith
Internet jokes about Jay Slater disappearance as search drags on
Users on X have been continually sharing GIFs meant to poke fun at the Jay Slater case as family and friends grow more desparate to find him.
One sick user joked that Jay would rush back to the site of the festival if he heard "some tunes playing in the distance" Others speculated the missing teen's emergence from the wilderness would annoy the myriad of scammers who created fake GoFundMe pages in order to profit from the precarious situation.
Mataeo Smith
Worried friend of Jay Slater urges search teams to "live in hope"
As the urgent search for missing youngster Jay Slater continues in the Tenerife mountains, his grieving family friend has stated, "We have to live in hope."
After flying out to the Spanish island earlier this week with Jay's mother Debbie Duncan and other family members, Rachel Hargreaves has since spoken out on the sixth day of the difficult rescue efforts. Rachel has been posting updates to the Facebook group set up to find the teenager.
"We've got to live in hope haven't we," she said, speaking from the resort of Los Cristianos, in Tenerife "You can't give up on anything can you really. We're here and we are staying until we've got an outcome."
The 19-year-old has not been heard from since Monday, so officials from the Civil Guard, mountain rescue team, and fire department are scouring a 30-kilometer radius in an attempt to locate him.
Mataeo Smith
Spanish police seem to "step up" the search for Jay, according to distraught mum
Debbie Duncan said she thinks Spanish police have "stepped up" their search for her missing son.
Dogs were called in to aid in the search on Saturday afternoon while police, firefighters, and search and rescue personnel combed through a substantial portion of the valley where Slater was last seen. Debbie told the Guardian that she spent eight hours on Friday in a police station listening to the cops lay out their meticulous plans for finding the missing Lancashire apprentice builder.
“I think it’s been stepped up,” she said, which she described as “too right”.
Bradley Jolly
Teenager's mum says she's 'not slept' as she makes direct plea to missing son
The mother of missing British teenager Jay Slater has said she has “not slept” and “can’t give up” on her son.
Asked how the family was coping with the situation, Debbie Duncan said: “We’re not. I’m not coping very well at all. I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t." Jay Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan said she did not know whether the Spanish authorities turning down an offer of help from the UK was because they viewed it as “an insult”.
Teenager's mum says she's 'not slept' as she makes direct plea to missing son
Bradley Jolly
Firefighter describes challenges his team faces in Tenerife
A firefighter, Riccardo, a member of the Brigada Forestal, spoke to the Manchester Evening News about the challenges in searching the 'dangerous' area and the ongoing efforts to locate Jay.
"It's very difficult to find people here, because of the ravines and the mountains," he said.
"I've seen the case and about the missing boy on the internet... but the days are now passing by and it's increasingly strange that he hasn't appeared yet.
"The information we have is that Jay [and his friends] were going to a music festival, and afterwards, the last sign of him was around here in the Teno Rural Park. I don't know if he was walking, hiking.. I just don't know. That's where I lose the thread."
KEY EVENT
Heartbroken dad makes emotional visit to site of search for his son
The dad of missing teenager Jay Slater last night made an emotional visit to view the search for his son and sobbed: “I just want the boy back”.
Warren Slater, 58, was supported by Jay’s brother Zak at the scene in Masca, close to the spot where the apprentice bricklayer was last seen shortly after 8am on Monday morning.
As police and mountain experts spent a sixth successive day working to find Jay, Warren and Zak were also joined nine of Jay's friends.
It was the first time Jay’s family members had felt able to visit the area. Warren and Zak, 24, wrapped their arms around each other in solidarity while looking out onto the search.
Heartbroken dad makes emotional visit to site of search for his son