JAYA Slater’s desperate family have been left “in the dark” after police abruptly called off their search for the missing teenager, friends say.
Police in Tenerife dramatically called off their search for Jay yesterday after failing to find any trace of him in the two weeks since he disappeared.
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Jay Slater has been missing since June 17
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Jay with mum Debbie and brother Zakcredit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED
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Jay’s dad Warren is in Tenerife with his familyCredit: Doug Seeburg
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The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing on June 17 while on holiday with two friends.
Although the search on the ground has been called off, the police on the island insist that the case is still open.
Detectives have promised to continue their investigation and look into any new tips or information that comes in.
But Jay’s family were left baffled by the sudden end to the search and vowed to keep looking for answers.
Close family friend Rachel Hargreaves, who joined them in Tenerife, said: “Nothing has changed. We will keep looking for him.”
Parents Debbie and Warren, as well as brother Zak, are all in Tenerife still looking for answers about what happened to Jay.
The others were “taken aback” by the speed with which the decision to end the search was made.
Jay’s family also struggles with fake fake ransom money being sent to them, as well as cruel threats.
Spanish authorities confirmed today that there is “no current evidence of criminality” in Jay’s disappearance.
A family friend told The Times that his loved ones are still “in the dark” about what will happen now that the hunt is over.
Jay Slater’s friend has caused MORE confusion by claiming the teenager met mystery men DAYS before she spent the night at an Airbnb and disappeared
But a top investigator working on the Madeleine McCann case has urged Jay’s family to use £45,000 donated by well-wishers to fund a private search.
Former police officer Mark Williams-Thomas – who flew to Tenerife to help with the search – said the GoFundMe money could be used to recruit a team of experts.
He told The Mirror: “The police have invested significant resources in the search for Jay and of course it is very disappointing for the family that the police search has come to an end.
“I have advised the family to use the GoFundMe money to bring in a large team of experts to flood the area where we know Jay was last seen.”
So far, fans have donated more than £45,000 to the page set up by Jay’s friend Lucy Law.
Last week, Jay’s heartbroken mother Debbie Duncan confirmed plans to raise some of the cash to fly out to friends of the family.
They also want to use the money for their own accommodation and food on the island while they continue to hunt for Jay.
Jay’s family will meet with Spanish police today to demand answers about the investigation.
It comes as…
Before the search was called off, Tenerife police officers organized a “last push” operation to find Jay.
About 30 policemen, firefighters and rescuers went to the mountains in Masca on Saturday – along with a few volunteers.
The search, which focused on Jay’s last known location, failed to find any trace of the teenager.
But an experienced climber who volunteered to join the latest search criticized it as a “PR stunt”.
Self-proclaimed explorer Paul Arnott, 29, flew to Tenerife on June 22 and has been sharing the news on his TikTok page.
After joining the latest manhunt with police on Saturday, Paul, from Bedfordshire, vented to his followers.
He claimed: “I’ve literally been waiting for years. This is a huge PR thing, I’m telling you now.”
Jay went missing on the morning of June 17 after a night out at the NRG Festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas.
He was last seen traveling with two mysterious men in the north of the island in the Rural de Teno park.
Jay made one last frantic phone call to friend Lucy Law to tell her he was stuck in the “middle of nowhere” at around 8.50am on June 17.
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Jay’s parents Debbie and Warren were in Tenerife trying to find answers
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Jay, Zak and father Warren celebrate Zak’s 21st birthdayCredit: Ian Whittaker
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Emergency personnel searched for Jay on foot. Credit: Doug Seeburg
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A helicopter was deployed as part of the searchCredit: Reuters
A panicked Jay, faced with an 11-hour walk back to their hotel, told her he needed water and only had one percent of battery left on his phone.
His other friend Brad Hargreaves discovered a second call in which Jay told him he had veered off the main trail – leading to speculation he may have slipped down the rocks.
Brad said he could hear the missing teenager skating on the rocks during the last video call.
The disappearance sparked a desperate round-the-clock search with his heartbroken mother and family flying to the island to join the hunt.
Rescue crews focused their efforts around the 2,000-foot Masca Gorge near Jay’s last known location – the desolate Teno Nature Reserve.
On Thursday, they focused on caves near Los Carrizales — about an hour and a half’s walk from the Airbnb where Jay went with the two men.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay flew to Tenerife with friends Lucy and Brad for the New Rave Generation (NRG) festival, which ended on Sunday.
His last Snapchat image was an out-of-focus image of a hand holding a cigarette in Buenavista del Norte, which is inside Rural de Teno Park, around 7.30am on Monday.
It was filmed at a location he went to with two men he met at a club – with chilling images showing the inside of an Airbnb.
It is claimed that the locals spotted him “walking alone” before his disappearance.
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Posters for missing persons have been placed in Tenerife
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The Spanish Civil Guard announced the end of the searchCredit: Doug Seeburg
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