Jay Slater disappearance not being treated as a crime, say Spanish authorities

The Guardia Civil called off its search for 19-year-old Jay Slater on Sunday

The disappearance of Jay Slater is not being treated as a crime at this stage, Spanish authorities have said.

The Guardia Civil called off its search for the 19-year-old from Lancashire on Sunday, almost two weeks after he disappeared while on holiday in Tenerife.

The force said the case remains open and that a “parallel” investigation is ongoing. But an investigating judge has been told that police have seen nothing yet that points to Mr Slater being the victim of a crime, it emerged on Monday.

A judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There is no evidence of criminality at this stage in this case. That is not to say things will not change, because the case remains open and investigations are ongoing, but right now that’s the situation.”

Mr Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had travelled to Tenerife with two friends.

He went missing on June 17 after he left a music festival in a car with two British men he had met. They travelled to the mountain village of Masca, and Mr Slater was last seen walking up a steep road in the early morning.

After setting off, he rang a friend and said he was lost, thirsty, had one per cent charge left on his phone and had cut his leg on a cactus. His phone ran out of power shortly after the call.

The Guardia Civil, which carried out a 13-day search for him, is reporting to a court in the municipality of Icod de los Vinos. The Court of Instruction Number One, which covers villages such as Masca, has opened a routine judicial investigation into the case. The investigating judge is Maria Goya.

Mr Slater’s family, who have vowed to continue the search for him, were due to meet police on Monday. The purpose of the visit is not yet clear. On Sunday, The Telegraph revealed that they planned to stay in Tenerife despite the police search ending.

A GoFundMe page, which the family claim will support their living costs, has reached almost £47,000.

Rachel Hargreaves, a close family friend who has joined them on the island, said: “Nothing has changed. We will continue to search for him.”

A final push to find the teenager fell flat on Saturday, when Spanish police asked volunteers to join a “massive search” but were met by just half a dozen people.

Spanish police have insisted the two men last seen with Mr Slater “don’t have any relevance” to the case. The men, believed to be from south-east England, were interviewed after his disappearance, but were allowed to return to Britain last week.

The Guardia Civil called off its search for Jay Slater on Sunday - James Manning/PA Wire

While the police have ended their search for the teenager, TikTok sleuths have not stopped their efforts to find him.

Paul Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an explorer, has been searching in Tenerife for more than a week.

So far, the 29-year-old has posted 60 short videos about his search, each attracting hundreds of thousands of views.

On Monday, he claimed a pair of sunglasses had been found and said “they could be Jay’s”.

Mr Arnott, who has been in contact with Mr Slater’s family, told MailOnline: “There have been some new developments, and these sunglasses could be key.They were found by an army guy called Chris who lives here. I don’t want to go into too much detail, yet but the family have them and are looking at them.

“They could be Jay’s – they are very similar to ones he has and we are waiting to see. It could be very significant.”

The Telegraph has contacted Mr Arnott for comment.

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