Jay Slater’s dad says police keeping family in dark – as they share new CCTV image in hope of finding teen
Jay Slater’s father has said police have left him and his family in the dark over the search for the missing British teenager – as they shared what they hope is an image of him.
Warren Slater, the 19-year-old’s dad, said that while some officers on Tenerife had been “brilliant”, he had been left frustrated at the lack of communication from others.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “Nobody’s told us. The mountain police [have been] brilliant… but I don’t know how the other police [force] works.
“They could be doing everything but if they are doing [something], they’re not telling us what they’re doing, if you understand what I’m saying.”
A CCTV image that could be of missing teen Jay Slater
Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, has been missing on the Spanish island since the morning of Monday 17 June.
He had been on a holiday with friends and was last heard from just around 8.30am that day, when he called his friend Lucy Law to say he was setting off to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.
The walk from Mr Slater’s last known location, Rural de Teno Park, around the mountainous village of Masca, in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.
It comes as his family shared a blurry image of what they believe could be the missing teenager captured on CCTV in a nearby town 10 hours after he was first reported missing.
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Sky News has not been able to verify the source of the picture.
The sighting has not been confirmed by Spanish police but the family are pinning their hopes that it may help bring their son home.
Mr Slater’s family have flown to the island to try and retrace his steps as a GoFundMe appeal to raise money for the search surpassed £30,000 over the weekend.
The apprentice bricklayer had gone to the NRG festival in south Tenerife with friends on the Sunday afternoon.
An appeal poster for Jay Slater. Pic: PA
Following that, he went to Masca with two people he had met at the festival.
Around 8am last Monday, Mr Slater spoke to Ofelia Medina Hernandez and she told him a bus was due at 10am – as he seemingly hoped to get back to his accommodation.
But he set off walking – she said she later drove past him as he was “walking fast”.
Not long after, he called his friend Ms Law and said he was lost and trying to walk from Masca to his accommodation in Los Cristianos in the south of the island.
Shortly after 9am that morning he was reported missing.
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Jay Slater: What is happening with search?
Helicopters, rescue dogs and drones have spent days scouring overgrown terrain, hillsides and rivers as the search continues.
Mr Slater’s family have set up a Facebook group to help review images and footage in an effort to find him.
The Spanish Civil Guard previously told UK media it was “doing everything possible” to find Mr Slater.
“A specialist mountain rescue and intervention group called the Greim have been mobilised.”
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Warren Slater, speaking previously to Sky News, said he is “just hoping that somebody has helped him off this mountain”.
He added: “That’s all I want, that somebody has helped him get off this mountain. I just want him back and that’s it. He’s my son.”
His voice cracking, Mr Slater said the last few days have been “a nightmare, just a nightmare”.
UK
Jay Slater: Tenerife police call for volunteers to take part in large-scale search for missing British teenager
Police in Tenerife have called for volunteers to take part in a large-scale search for missing British teenager Jay Slater.
Officials said it would take place on Saturday in the village of Masca on the Spanish island.
In a statement, police said: “The Guardia Civil prepares and coordinates a large search to find the young British man missing in the village of Masca.
“The collaboration of all those Volunteer Associations is requested: civil Protection, firefighters, etc., and even private volunteers who are experts in the abrupt search terrain.
“The massive search will be carried out on Saturday, 29 June from 9am.
“Bearing in mind that this is an abrupt, rocky area, full of unevenness and with a multitude of ravines, paths and roads, the collaboration of all those Associations of Volunteers who can help in this raid that is intended to be carried out in a directed and coordinated manner is requested,” the statement said.
The Los Carrizales ravine which was being searched by police. Pic: Reuters
Canarian police officers carry out a drone search in the Los Carrizales ravine. Pic: Reuters
Police said volunteers should call the Guardia Civil on 696434031 before 8pm this evening if they want to join the search.
The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.
The apprentice bricklayer had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.
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Police search mountains for Jay Slater
The walk from Mr Slater’s last known location, Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.
Meanwhile, one of Mr Slater’s friends told ITV’s This Morning about his last video call with the 19-year-old.
Brad, a close friend of Mr Slater, said yes to the reporter’s question as to whether he saw the missing teenager’s feet slide on rocks. He said that is how he knew Mr Slater was not on a road.
Brad added that Mr Slater went down a “little drop” in one of his last video calls.
Read more:
‘My son went missing in Ibiza – I know how Jay Slater’s parents feel’
He said the missing teenager was not concerned and that they were both “laughing” about the situation.
“He said, ‘look where I am’. He didn’t seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he were,” Brad said.
“I said, ‘put your location on’. He said: ’15 minute drive, fourteen-hour walk’. I don’t know if it’s accurate or not so I said to him: ‘It’s only a 15 minute drive, get a taxi’.”
Today’s police statement comes as Mr Slater’s family welcomed the help of a TikTok creator among those leading an online search for the missing teenager.
Sky News spoke earlier this week to Paul Arnott, who has been sharing clips of his own search effort on TikTok and said he came to Ibiza when he heard the family “needed help”.
According to The Daily Telegraph, his efforts attracted the interest of Mr Slater’s family, who contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.
Jay Slater is an apprentice bricklayer. Pic: PH Build Group
“They said they’re really proud of what I’m doing,” Mr Arnott, 29, told the newspaper.
Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, told the paper she has “every faith” in the police and singled out Mr Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an “explorer”, and another TikTok creator Callum Rahim for thanks.
Read more:
Spanish authorities remain silent on missing teen
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“[I] can’t thank Paul Arnott enough, also Callum Rahim and his friends for working alongside with the search and rescue teams,” she said.
“Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and my paranoia, you saw it first hand. As a family, we are in a living nightmare.”
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Social media has also had a dark side for the family, with Ms Duncan and her son’s friends at the centre of conspiracy theories.
The construction company that employs Mr Slater shared a post on Facebook earlier on Thursday urging people to stop sending them “cruel” emails and to stop posting theories online.
Also on Thursday, Ms Duncan said £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 donations will help cover her accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island as well as support rescue teams.
Celtic have paid tribute to former player Landry N’Guemo, who has died at the age of 38.
The Cameroonian midfielder played one season on loan at the Glasgow club, making more than 43 appearances and finishing in second place in 2010 to Rangers in the Scottish Premier League – now known as the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic released a statement saying they are “shocked and saddened” after he died in a road accident in his native country.
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“Everyone at Celtic Football Club is shocked and saddened at the news of Landry N’Guemo’s passing at the young age of 38,” the statement read.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with Landry’s family and friends at this sad time.”
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N’Guemo returned to French club Nancy to coach the under-16s team following the end of his playing career.
He made more than 40 appearances for Cameroon.
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