Tragic development in Jay Slater case 15 days on since Brit teenager reported missing in Tenerife
Missing Jay Slater's mum has issued a heartbreaking statement after an agonising 15 days of worrying about the whereabouts of her teenage son.
Just over two weeks ago Debbie Duncan's life was turned upside down when her 19-year-old son Jay was reported missing. He was last heard from in the northwest of Tenerife after staying at an Airbnb in Masca on June 17. He told a friend Lucy Law that he was planning to walk back to the south of the island before his phone battery went dead.
Jay's friends and family travelled to the island as the search took place. A GoFundMe page set up by Jay’s friend Lucy Law for his family has so far raised more than £47,000, and Debbie said the money raised online would be used to support mountain rescue teams, as well as covering accommodation and food costs.
Spanish police worked tirelessly to conduct a major search operation in the hunt for Jay but the search was called off last Sunday with no signs of the teenager from Lancashire.
A Snapchat clip revealed what the Lancashire teenager Jay Slater was wearing the night before he went missing while on holiday in Tenerife.
Warren Slater and Debbie Duncan leaving the police headquarters in Tenerife
Just 48 hours after officers called off the search Jay's parents Warren Slater, 58, and Debbie Duncan, 55, were seen leaving the Guardia Civil police station in Tenerife's Las Americas district on Tuesday afternoon after spending several hours liaising with police.
A tragic update
On Tuesday, July 2, 15 days after Jay was reported missing, Debbie provided a tragic update. She confirmed the family still "do not have any information on his whereabouts" but praised the efforts of the police in Spain and said that their investigation is still ongoing into what has happened.
In her first public comment since the search ended, Debbie expressed her sheer devastation, saying: "Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him."
Debbie's statement in full:
“My son, Jay Dean Slater, came to the holiday island of Tenerife on the 13th of June with his friend to attend a music festival. On the 17th of June after not returning to his apartment he was reported as a missing person. Jay is a normal guy who is in his 3rd year of an apprenticeship, and he is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends.
"We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.
Tragic development in Jay Slater case 15 days on since Brit teenager reported missing in Tenerife
"We do not have any information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced. They conducted a land search for 12 days which involved every resource they had available. Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation.
"We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of enquiries. We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay's disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.
Debbie Duncan shared her heartbreak
"We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.
"We also embrace the love and support we have received from across the globe. It has not gone unnoticed, especially his home town in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this present time.”