The search for the young British man Jay Slater, who disappeared after being taken to a remote AirBnB by two men at the end of a party at a nightclub in Tenerife on June 17, remains active. His family announced last Sunday that they have requested the assistance of a specialized rescue team from the Netherlands to continue the search operation, as reported by journalists Katherine Lawton and Nick Pisa from the Daily Mail.
Monday marks four weeks since Jay last contacted his friends, whom he called to tell them he was “lost in the mountains, thirsty and with one percent battery.” Despite the initial efforts by the police, which included the use of drones, dogs, and a helicopter, no trace of Jay was found in the desert of the Teno National Park, near the village of Masca.
Debbie Duncan, Jay’s mother, aged 55, posted an update on a GoFundMe page created for her son, which has raised over 52,000 British pounds so far. In the update, Debbie reveals that the family has called in a rescue team from the Netherlands to assist in the search after the Spanish police ceased the ground search.
“Almost four weeks later, we are still no further forward in finding our beautiful boy. He had only been on holiday for four days and his disappearance remains a mystery,” wrote Debbie. “We are still here in Tenerife searching daily with the help of volunteers and local hiking groups.”
Debbie also commented: “As everyone knows, the Civil Guard abandoned the ground search after 12 days. We have been actively working with search and rescue teams and can now confirm that we have an expert team flying in this weekend from the Netherlands, who will continue the search with their specialized dogs.”
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Thanks to the generosity of donors, the family has been able to fund the arrival of the Dutch rescue team Signi Zoekhond. “Jay is just a normal hard-working young man from Lancashire, much loved by all who know him. He is about to complete his three-year apprenticeship this month. Although we have no answers about his disappearance, we must stay positive.”
Jay Slater with his brother and mother / E. D.
Debbie concluded with an emotional appeal: “Please continue to pray for him and our family. There is unfortunately a lot of negativity, which adds to the pain of the unknown. So please, only send love and positive thoughts to Jay, our beautiful son.”
The police have stated that “they are continuing with the investigation and have leads open”, but have refused to disclose details, leaving Debbie and the rest of Jay’s family in uncertainty. Masca, the main search area, is an hour from the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Américas, where Jay was last seen in the company of two British men after the New Rave Generation festival.
Jay’s family and local volunteers continue to dedicate all their efforts to find the young man, despite the challenges and lack of specific information about his whereabouts. The arrival of the Dutch rescue team has renewed hopes of finding Jay and bringing answers to his family and friends.
