Jay Slater was on first holiday with his pals & ‘isn’t a drinker’ but had spirits before he vanished, says worried mum
JAY Slater’s worried mum says the teen was on his first ever holiday with pals when he vanished in Tenerife.
The 19-year-old, from Lancashire, has not been seen or heard from in more than two days after disappearing on the island he flew out to with two pals.
His heartbroken mum Debbie Duncan, who has jetted to the Canary island to help search, said she encouraged him to go on the trip.
She said although the teen flew out to attend a festival, he wasn’t a big drinker back home but did have some spirits the night before he disappeared.
Debbie told the BBC: “I’ve not slept at all, it’s like it’s not real.
“It was his first holiday abroad with his friends and I was encouraging him to go, I said, ‘You will have a great time’.
“He’s not really a drinker is Jay but he had been drinking shorts and spirits that night.
“Everyone loves being in his company, and he was having a laugh with these guys.
“He wouldn’t have seen the danger, he didn’t have his wits about him, he just wanted to go and have fun.”
The worried mum said she was growing more and more desperate to find out where her beloved son is.
She added: “It’s just traumatic and it doesn’t feel real. It’s just awful, it’s horrendous.
“He’s just a great person who everyone wanted to be with. He’s good looking, he’s a popular boy.”
Jay was in Tenerife with friends Lucy Mae and Brad for the 2024 New Rave Generation (NRG) festival, which ended on Sunday.
Jay went to the party on Sunday night before leaving with two other men he had just met to go to their apartment.
- Jay, 19, was first reported missing on Monday after vanishing on his way home from a rave the night before
- His mum’s partner Andy said Jay is “no mug” but could’ve taken a wrong turn on a 10-hour walk back to his hotel
- Mum Debbie was told by cops at 2am on Tuesday to catch the first flight to Tenerife
- She was later bombarded with prank calls from trolls claiming to have kidnapped her son
- A Coronation Street star with a connection to Jay’s family published an appeal for help to find him
- Jay’s posted a Snapchat the night before he vanished showing him smiling with friends
- His friend Lucy described the teen’s disappearance as “suspicious and weird” as cops vowed to keep an “open mind”
He was last heard from on Monday morning when he called his friend Lucy Mae to say he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey expected to take around 11 hours on foot.
He told her he was lost, needed a drink of water and had only 1 per cent battery.
Jay’s phone then cut off, with his last location showing as the Rural de Teno park – a mountainous area popular with hikers.
In his final Snapchat post, sent just an hour before he was last heard from, he held a cigarette at the accommodation he had gone to on Sunday with two men.
Today, precious search hours were lost were police drastically moved their search to the other side of the island after a false sighting.
Mountain rescue crews left the hills where Jay vanished and started scouring the south of the island.
But the huge search operation has now moved back near the village of Masca in northwestern Tenerife after the report turned out to be false.
Police confirmed this afternoon the search had resumed in the Teno Rural Park near Masca after being temporarily halted earlier today as the focus switched to the south.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: “Officers have returned to the Masca area to continue with the search operation.”
The force did not offer any detail about the earlier decision to suspend operations or the reason for the resumption.
Just after midday the Civil Guard revealed the popular resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas were now the search areas.
A spokesman said at the time: “As things stand at the moment the search in the mountainous area near Masca in the north has been halted.”
Jay Slater’s friend Lucy Mae responded by claiming: “Someone has given a false lead to the police saying he’s rang a taxi down to Los Cristianos.
“If this was the case he would have rang his mum or one of us. I know him well and he would NOT have us worrying.
“Someone is trying to deter the police from him being up there. I’m starting to think he’s been kidnapped.”
Asked if she thought that was the reason for the switch, she said: “Yes, This is really serious.”
Coronation Street star's plea for help
By Anita Markoff, TV reporter
VICKY Entwhistle, who used to play Janice Battersby on ITV soap Coronation Street, shared a heartbreaking post on Tuesday as the search continues for missing teen Jay Slater.
Vicky shared one of the missing posters circulating online, adding: “My God Mother’s Grandson has gone missing. His Mother has flown out 7pm. To join the police search.
“Hope to God they find him. Please pray for him.”
Fans flocked to the comments to offer reassurance, with one saying: “Saw this on Facebook Vicky, it seems to be getting shared far and wide, hopefully there will be some good news imminently with all the love and support out there, just makes it so much harder when abroad! Love and prayers for you all.”
Another offered: “We are in Tenerife if we can help in any way let us know.”