Stepdad of Jay Slater missing in Tenerife says ‘he’s no mug’ but may have taken wrong turn on 8hr walk where he vanished
THE step-dad of a Brit teen missing in Tenerife says “he’s no mug” but could have taken a wrong turn on an 8-hour walk back to his hotel.
Jay Slater, 19, from Lancashire, was on the holiday island for a three-day music festival and had stayed the night with people he had just met before disappearing on his way home on Monday.
He vanished after making a desperate phone call at 8am on Monday morning to his long-time pal Lucy – saying he was in the “middle of nowhere”.
The frantic teen said he was lost, needed water and only had 1 per cent battery left on his mobile phone.
His last known-location was Teno Rural Park in the north-west of Tenerife – a popular hiking spot for tourists.
Now a desperate police search is underway, with cops and mountain rescue scouring the rugged landscape with drones and police helicopters.
Jay’s mum flew out to Tenerife with Jay’s older brother on Tuesday to help with the frantic search.
It’s really worrying. It feels like a blur at the moment.
Andy
Her partner Andy Watson, 63, said the family were worried Jay could have taken the wrong turn as he treked from where he had stayed with two English lads back to his accommodation.
He said Jay could have got even more lost during the 8-hour hike after losing his bearings.
Speaking outside their home in Oswaldtwistle, Andy told The Sun: “It’s really worrying. It feels like a blur at the moment.
“Jay is very street wise and he’s no mug but if it’s it was dark and he had no touch on his phone he could have gone the wrong way and become more lost than he was.”
Andy said Jay had disappeared after going to a rave with his pal Lucy.
He said: “Lucy contacted Debbie to say he’d gone back with two English lads he met at the party to their place for a few beers.
“Apparently, where they are staying is eight hours walking distance from where Jay is staying.”
Debbie said from Tenerife that Jay was likely “disorientated” and didn’t realise it was an 8-hour walk back to his apartment in the south of the island.
Speaking from the south of the island where her son had been staying, she said: “I just think it was a question of him not knowing the island well enough.”
Debbie said her son “would have consumed a fair bit of alcohol” while at the festival – but he “seemed very compos mentis” before he went missing.
She said: “I know the last place he spoke to his friend Lucy from was in the mountains and I think the police have got a more precise location now.
“I imagine they’re also speaking to the people whose place he went back to.
“I imagine we will head up north nearer the spot Jay was when he disappeared.”
She told how Brits with “northern accents” have been calling her with hidden numbers, claiming they had her son captive and were keeping him because he owed them money.
She said: “I just don’t know why people would want to do things like this.
“I’ve been getting lots of prank calls. It’s sickening.
“People ringing me and saying they’ve got Jay because he owes them money.
“But it’s not putting me off… I want to keep this in the news because it’s going to increase the chances of Jay being found safe and well which is obviously what we’re praying for.”
She added: “I’m obviously beside myself with worry which is why I’ve flown out here with my eldest son to do anything we can to help.
“We’re just praying the police or someone finds Jay. I know there’s a mountain rescue team out and a helicopter.
“Nothing’s ever going to be enough when your youngest son’s gone missing, but it sounds as though the police here are taking this very seriously and doing the best job they can.”
We’re just praying the police or someone finds Jay
Debbie
Debbie also posted a plea for help on her Facebook asking for anyone in Tenerife to share a missing poster of Jay.
The people Jay met on Sunday night were staying in an apartment “in the middle of nowhere”, his close friend Lucy told the Manchester Evening News.
Jay told Lucy he “didn’t know where he was” and he needed a drink of water before the call cut off.
Local police and the British Embassy have been been told about Jay’s disappearance with mountain rescue teams and a helicopter patrolling the park since Monday.
Lucy said: “He’s gone on a night out, he’s gone to a friend’s house, someone that he has met on holiday.
“One of the people he has met has hired a car out of here, so he’s driven them back to his apartment and Jay has gone there not realising how far away it is.
“He’s ended up out in the middle of nowhere. Jay was obviously thinking he would be able to get home from there.”
Do you have information about missing Jay? Get in touch on 07741005808 or email imogen.braddick@thesun.co.uk
Jay’s family and friends say they “have never been so worried” about his disappearance.
They have since launched a desperate appeal to find him with Lucy searching the national park for her close friend.
A neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, described Jay as a “friendly lad” who always seemed to have a smile on his face.
He told The Sun: “His family must be going through hell.
“I don’t know what I’d do if it was one of my children.”
A spokesman for a regional emergency coordination centre said Jay was first reported missing at 9.04am on Monday.
The Brit was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and shorts with a black bag on him.
A Civil Guard spokeswoman in Tenerife said: “A specialist Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group called the Greim have been mobilised.
“A police helicopter is also out and focusing on the area around the village of Masca.
“Other emergency services including firefighters have also been mobilised.
“Everything possible is being done to try to find the missing man.”
The Canary Islands are expected to reach temperatures of up to 25C today.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”