Jay Slater cops issue major Tenerife search update as they give family permission to deploy own teams to join hunt
SPANISH cops have said Jay Slater’s family can bring in their own search teams to find the missing teenager.
The Brit vanished on June 17 and police called off their mammoth efforts to find him in the Tenerife mountains last Sunday.
Now, 18 days after he disappeared, Spanish police have authorised the family to deploy their own rescue force.
The family told Sky they hope to use some of a GoFundMe – now up to almost £50,000 – to fund a fresh search.
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 June 30 local authorities axed the mammoth hunt, leaving Jay’s “angry” family to fend for themselves.
They vowed to keep looking for the teen as his dad and brother have been seen trekking through the mountains.
The Guardia Civil told Sky that external search teams can visit the island “without any problem” to help out in the search.
Any rescue teams would have to notify them of plans to ensure “good management of information and resources”.
Spanish cops have said they haven’t had any requests yet.
Lancashire police did offer to fly over to the island and help after Jay vanished – but Tenerife officials shot them down.
Jay’s worried dad Warren told Manchester Evening News his son could’ve been heading towards the sea on the morning he vanished.
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.
He phoned his friend Lucy to tell her he was “lost in the middle of nowhere” after going back to a remote Airbnb with two British men the night before.
After missing the bus, he started walking the 11-hour route back to his accommodation and disappeared in the rural 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.”