Behind 'massive' Jay Slater operation that saw police call off search - no-shows and 'PR stunt'

Spanish police have now called off the hunt for Jay Slater, following a 'massive' search across treacherous terrain in Tenerife.

The search was called off yesterday (Sunday, June 30) after two weeks of investigating the 19-year-old's unsolved disappearance and one last push on Saturday, where expert volunteers had been called in to help. Apprentice bricklayer Jay, from Lancashire, was last heard from on Monday, June 17, after attending the three-day NRG festival on the Canary Island.

Jay's family, who have vowed to remain in Tenerife, are said to have been left distraught by the decision, with a source claiming they fear the 'trolls have won'. Meanwhile, Nicola Bulley cop Mark Williams-Thomas has now advised Jay's loved ones on the next steps to take, using the money they've gathered through his GoFundMe page.

Here, the Mirror takes a look behind the last ditch attempt for police to find missing Jay, from those involved, his family's fury, and 'PR stunt' allegations from one TikToker, who is still out there searching for the missing teen...

Police call

Search for Jay involving Spanish Police and volunteers including search and rescue specialists

With just a day's notice, the Spanish police called on expert volunteers to join them in a 'massive' search for the missing teen on Saturday. The Guardia Civil requested specialist voluntary organisations including firefighters and civil protection teams to join them, and members of the public who were familiar with navigating the difficult conditions.

The hunt for Jay was set to focus on the ravines and trails around the mountainous area of Masca, where the teenager was last known to have been. Warning volunteers, Civil Guard police chief Angel Sanz Coronado said: "Following the disappearance on June 17 of the young 19-year-old British man in the area of Masca, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, the Civil Guard is prepared to carry out a mass search. Given that it is a steep, rocky area, full of uneven terrain and with many ravines, tracks and trails, we request the collaboration of all those Volunteer Associations that can help in this planned search that is intended to be carried out in a directed and co-ordinated way."

"This massive search will begin on Saturday 29 June at 9am. A meeting point will be established at the Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda in Masca to start the search in a logical and orderly way along the many paths and ravines that are found in Masca." The spokesman clarified that it was not asking the "unexperienced" general public to join the search, only experts in the type of terrain in the area as well as professional volunteers like firefighters and Civil Protection workers.

However as the on-foot search commenced on Saturday morning, hopes of hundreds out on the ground were crushed, as the operation comprised approximately just 30 police, firefighters, and Civil Protection officials. And only just half a dozen volunteers showed up, according to reports.

When pressed by members of the media as to the logistics of covering the expansive 30km search zone with just 30 rescuers and volunteers, the Civil Guard stated: "We have already spent days searching. The search we are going to do today is going to be around 30 people."

It came after police and emergency service teams had used drones and helicopters to comb over the mountainous area, along with drafting in specialist search dogs from Madrid. The Guardia Civil earlier described the search area as "huge" and said its officers and other agencies were searching "everything".

Treacherous conditions covered

. View from La Cruz Hilda mountain pass viewpoint.,Teno Park, Tenerife. The search area at 09.30am.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Cipriano Martin, head of the Civil Guard's Greim mountain rescue unit explained that Jay cutting his leg on a cactus meant he must have 'left the main road' and headed into treacherous hilly terrain. Despite an extensive search in the mountainous region, Jay's whereabouts remain a mystery.

Detailing where they had scoured, the officer said: "Masca's been looked at, the Juan Lopez ravine, the Retamar ravine, Las Aneas ravine, Los Carrizales ravine, in all the areas we know he's been in because his mobile phone coverage is undeniable and places him there.

"But we have a difficulty which is that once the phone goes off the antennas stop picking it up, so that while he's walking, and we don't know how long he was walking for, no phone mast is going to detect it, and as the technicians tell us, they look for mobiles and not people, so we're at that point as well, that we have certain information and we have to go on that."

Police declaration

. View from La Cruz Hilda mountain pass viewpoint.,Teno Park, Tenerife. The search area at 09.30am. Very quiet. No presence of any emergency search and rescue activity.

Tenerife's Civil Guard, who spearheaded the two-week efforts, then announced they would be suspending their extensive active search, which had involved sniffer dogs, a helicopter and mountain rescue teams. A Civil Guard representative said on Sunday: "The search operation has now finished although the case remains open."

The representative did not address whether or not there were any active lines of inquiry regarding links between Jay's disappearance and a reported scuffle outside a Los Cristianos nightclub. This incident allegedly occurred after the theft of a wealthy Eastern European gentleman's designer wristwatch. One of Jay's acquaintances has reportedly informed police of possible connections between the theft and his disappearance.

Asserting that 'nothing has been ruled out', authorities have consistently classified Jay's situation as a missing person case as opposed to an active criminal investigation.

TikToker criticism

Paul Arnott

TikTok sensation and climber Paul Arnott, from Bedfordshire, has revealed he bravely dashed to the scene after seeing the Jay's family's urgent calls for help, even putting a charity event on hold and paying out a sizeable sum to fly over to the sunkissed island. However he has since blasted the operation as a 'massive PR thing', in a scathing TikTok video which has since been widely shared.

Venting to followers on his 'downtherapids' account, frustrated Paul claimed: "So, guys, I've literally been waiting for absolutely ages now. This is a massive PR thing, I'm telling you now. I'm gonna ask him in a second to take my name off the list. I'm just gonna go down there and do my thing. I'm gonna do that now, I think. Because there's people everywhere. Literally people everywhere and nobody's doing anything.

He added: "[addressing Spanish police] Hey, hey, guys, for the list, this thing, just cross out take my name off. Yeah, because I'm going here now. It's too busy. I wanna go search. I'm gonna search over here cause it's ridiculous. So, yeah, guys, I can't deal with this. This is absolutely mad. I've been up here for ages."

"Yeah, there's people everywhere. I'm just putting it how it is. Everyone is still in their cars. It's all a big thing. It's all chat, chat, chat, chat, chat. I'm putting it out there now. I'm sick of it. I'm so stressed out. I tell you what, I'm coming down here, I'm gonna go get some food cause my morning's already been wasted. And then I'm gonna crack on a search for Jay in the area where I think he is. I can't deal with this, guys. I've been so quiet about this now. I've been so quiet about this. Not doing it anymore, people. I'm sick of this c**p."

The Civil Guard has been approached for comment on Paul's videos, which have been viewed more than half a million times on TikTok.

'Disappointing' turnout

Jay Slater is pictured with his father Warren Slater (centre) and brother Zak Slater (right).

Expressing his dismay at the lack of volunteers during an interview with the Mail Online, Jay's father Warren Slater said: "It's a bit disappointing that there are no British apart from Paul [Arnott], but I suppose to them he's just a British lad who's come out here and got drunk."

He continued: "I'm grateful to those who have come out here because you can see just how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who are having a go at us for not searching. It's not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our position would you go out in these conditions?"

Hitting back at trolls

Jay is pictured here with his brother Zak (right), mother Debbie Duncan (left) and aunt Fiona Duncan (top left orange and red blouse)

Jay Slater is pictured here with his mum Debbie Duncan on an

Jay's loved ones have had to contend with online trolling and wild rumours concerning the online fundraiser set up following his disappearance. Many took aim at the GoFundMe page, entitled 'Get Jay Slater Home', questioning what the money would be used for. Some even went as far as to draw cruel comparisons between worried mum Debbie Duncan, and the notorious Karen Matthews - the woman who orchestrated the kidnap of her young daughter Shannon.

Now, as the Spanish police wind down their search, tortured family members are said to feel as though trolls have 'got their way', as they pledge to keep the momentum going. A source from the UK told The Sun: "Jay’s family can’t help thinking the trolls have won and that they have got their 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. They’ve been trying to get in touch with groups in Tenerife and beyond who specialise in missing persons. 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."

They added: "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. Is two weeks really long enough to say you’ve looked everywhere?"

Next steps

Jay Slater

Detective Mark Williams-Thomas

Detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who previously investigated the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and Nicola Bulley, revealed that he has advised Jay's family to bring in a team of experts to continue their own private search on the island.

Speaking from Tenerife, Mark, 54, told the Mirror: "The police have put considerable resources into searching for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the search by the police has now ended. I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area from where we know Jay last was."

At the time of writing, the online fundraiser has now exceeded the £45,000 mark - significantly more than the specified £30,000 target. This comes after mum Debbie confirmed they would begin withdrawing funds to cover costs of food and accommodation for those staying in Tenerife, and to fly more loved ones out to the island to keep the search going.

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