Jay Slater’s family considering fresh appeal to Brit cops to help find teen after being ‘blindsided’ by search axe
JAY Slater’s desperate family are considering again asking British police to help find the teen after Tenerife cops called off the search.
The 19-year-old’s loved ones were left “blindsided” when detectives on the island axed the hunt less than two weeks after Jay vanished.
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on June 17 while on holiday with two friends.
While the on the ground search was stopped on Sunday, police on the island have insisted the case is still very much open.
Detectives have promised to continue investigating and will probe any new tip-offs or information that come in.
But the decision to dramatically cut off the search is the “nightmare scenario” Jay’s family were “dreading”, a source close to them revealed.
His parents Debbie Duncan and Warren Slater and brother Zak feared this weekend would be make or break in the hunt for the apprentice bricklayer.
Some 30 cops, firefighters and rescuers all took to the mountains in Masca – along with a handful of volunteers – on Saturday for a “final push”.
But the hunt, which centred around Jay’s last known location, failed to find any trace of the teen.
A source back in the UK, who has been in regular touch with the family, told The Sun: “Jay’s family knew the search would eventually wind down. They get that.
“But it was a nightmare scenario they didn’t want to think about. And it wasn’t something they thought wouldn’t happen immediately.
“So for the decision to be made after just two weeks has left them bewildered and bereft.”
The source said Jay’s family “aren’t convinced” cops have scoured everywhere possible for clues.
They have vowed to stay in Tenerife to continue the search themselves, which they fear has been hampered by vicious trolls.
The insider added: “Jay’s family can’t help thinking the trolls have won and that they have got the way.
“So many people have been putting horrible messages out there which has only added to the family’s torment.
“They will not stop looking for Jay or giving up.
“They will be staying in Tenerife and trying to do all they can to keep momentum going and to find Jay.”
It comes as…
- Jay’s family consider asking Brit police for help again
- Family receive vile fake ransom demands
- Jay’s family ‘left in dark’ after search ends
- Jay might not be ‘missing’, says Brit ex-cop
- Teen’s family slam trolls for ‘getting in way’ of hunt
- Jay’s family vow to keep going as cops halt search
- New childhood pics of Jay emerge
- Cops question new witnesses after fresh twist
- Jay ‘could have fallen into steep gorge’
Jay’s family – who have been grappling with vile fake ransom demands – are also considering other options to keep the hunt going.
A top investigator who worked on the Madeleine McCann case has urged Jay’s family to use £45,000 donated by well-wishers to fund a private search.
Former cop Mark Williams-Thomas – who jetted to Tenerife to help the search – said the GoFundMe cash could be used to draft in a team of experts.
Jay’s family may also implore British cops to get involved after Tenerife authorities rejected their help.
Police on the island had insisted they had the resources they needed for the hunt before issuing a cry for volunteers for Saturday’s final search.
The source added: “They’ve been trying to get in touch with groups in Tenerife and beyond who specialise in missing persons
“They may also try to appeal, again, to the British Police to help. They don’t understand why the police in Tenerife wouldn’t welcome the extra support and help which was being offered.
“What did they have to lose? If every stone had been left unturned Jay’s family would be able to accept this. But it doesn’t feel like that’s the case.”
The crushed family are still yet to get any answers on what happened to Jay – who has not been seen or heard from since June 17.
Jay vanished after a night out at the NRG festival at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas.
He was last seen travelling with the two mystery men in the north of the island in the Rural de Teno park.
Jay made a final frantic phone call to pal Lucy Law to tell her he was stranded in the “middle of nowhere” at about 8.50am on June 17.
Panicked Jay, facing an 11-hour walk back to their hotel, told her he needed water and only had one per cent of battery left on his phone.
His other friend Brad Hargreaves revealed a second call in which Jay told him he had veered off the main path – leading to speculation he may have slid down rocks.
Brad said he could hear the missing teen slipping on rocks during a final video call.
The disappearance sparked a desperate round-the-clock search with his heartbroken mum and family jetting out to the island to join the hunt.
Rescue crews focused their efforts around the 2,000ft Masca ravine close to Jay’s last known location – the desolate Teno Nature Reserve.
On Thursday, they shifted their focus to caves near Los Carrizales – around an hour and a half on foot from the Airbnb Jay went to with the two men.
But on Sunday, the search came to an end as police revealed they would no longer be scouring the mountainous terrain for Jay.