'Words cannot describe the pain': Mum of missing Brit Jay Slater shares heartbreaking update as land search ends
2 July 2024, 21:19 | Updated: 3 July 2024, 01:58
The mother of missing Brit Jay Slater has shared a heartbreaking update after Spanish police ended their land search for the teen.
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Jay Slater from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, travelled to the Canary Islands for a weekend music festival with two friends when he disappeared late on the night of June 16.
He was attending the 'New Rave Generation' (NRG) festival, but chose to stay behind with a group of strangers he had met instead of returning to where he was staying.
After weeks of Spanish police hunting for the teen, his mother confirmed on Tuesday that the land search had been called off.
Debbie Duncan said "words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing".
She thanked the Guardia Civil, who she said had "worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced".
Read more: Inside the Tenerife Airbnb where missing teenager Jay Slater stayed before going missing
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In a statement issued through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: "Jay is a normal guy who is in his third 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 phonecall 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 inquiries."
Search for Jay Slater in Tenerife called off by Spanish police
She added: "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."
Helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find the apprentice bricklayer after he went missing.
But the hunt was called off on Sunday after the Civil Guard called for volunteers to join a “massive search” in the Masca area of the island on Saturday.
Jay's last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island - which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He is understood to have gone back to a property in the village of Masca with two mystery British men in the early hours of Monday morning after the rave.
He left the two bedroom cottage called Casa Abuela Tina at 7.30am and posted two pictures from it on Snapchat, according to the MailOnline.
Despite the search for him being called off, two plain-clothes officers were sent to the property at 11am on Tuesday.
Officers have insisted the investigation remains open.
