Jay Slater’s dad Warren says son may have been ‘heading for the sea’ when he vanished as he reveals ‘anger’ over search
JAY SLATER’S dad has said he thinks his son may have been heading towards the sea in Tenerife when he vanished on June 17.
Warren Slater, 58, has been scouring the mountains of north-west Tenerife himself since cops called off the active search last Sunday.
Jay’s last known location was in the Rural de Teno park, near a 2,000ft ravine with a steep drop into the sea around the holiday island.
A huge search team made up of police, volunteers, firefighters, drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs spent two weeks searching the sparse parkland nearby.
On Sunday June 30 local authorities axed the mammoth hunt, leaving Jay’s “angry” family to fend for themselves.
When asked if his son Jay could’ve been heading towards the sea on the morning he vanished, Warren told Manchester Evening News “Maybe”.
He said: “I’ve done this trail now twice. Every step I’ve took there’s been an opening.
“If you land on one of those cactus’ you’re not moving. Surely somebody’s gonna find you after two weeks.”
“It’s hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff. You can’t explain this to somebody unless they see it. You can take a photograph or film it, but until you’re here…”
Warren told MEN he has gone past sadness to anger over the police response to Jay’s disappearance.
He said: “I’ve gone past the sadness bit and I’m angry, if that makes any sense.
“I’m angry that nothing’s happened. If I left you here and then you just disappeared, do you not think police would be on my case?”
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last heard from on the morning of June 17 when he phoned a pal to tell her he was “lost in the middle of nowhere”.
He had gone back to a remote Airbnb with two British men on the northwest of island in the early hours before leaving later that morning.
After missing the bus, he started walking the 11-hour route back to his accommodation and disappeared in the rural north-west mountains.
On Monday, Jay’s parents pleaded with cops not to give up on the hunt for their son during a crunch meeting.
Detectives promised to probe any new tip-offs or information that comes in but stood firm in axing the active search.
A source close to the family revealed that the decision to cut off the search was the “nightmare scenario” Jay’s family were “dreading”.
Jay’s worried loved ones yesterday hit out at a TikTok creator who flew out to join the search but quit after claiming he’s “never had any money” from the GoFundMe.
Callum Fahim, who voluntarily travelled to Tenerife to help cops, claimed he’s left after being slammed with death threats and seeing no cash.
He flew over after contacting the 19-year-old’s mum, Debbie Duncan, online, according to Sky News.
But Fahim has now shared plans to return to the UK on Thursday.
The Slater family claim Debbie gave Callum £740 of her own money to fund his accommodation.
She says the TikToker turned “bitter” after they refused to give him more money.
Several search experts and a former detective have claimed the teen could be alive somewhere in the mountains.
Army reservist and search pro Juan García, believes cops called off the search for missing Jay too soon and previously warned he could be feeding on plants and rainwater to stay alive.
Ex-detective Hedges told The Sun: “It’s certainly possible. I think it’s important to let the investigation keep all lines of inquiry open until they’re proven to be not viable.
“It is quite a long time to survive without food. Depends on how much rain there is, as to whether there’s sufficient water.
“But certainly, one should always consider that possibility.”