Jay Slater’s devastated mum said “words cannot describe the pain and agony” after the search for her son was called off.
Debbie Duncan said in a heartbreaking statement “we just want to find him” after the family vowed to keep looking as officers called off their search after 14 days.
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Debbie said ‘words cannot describe the pain and agony’ after the search for her son was called off Credit: Doug Seeburg
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Jay Slater was reported missing on June 17 Credit: Ian Whittaker
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The search for Jay Slater has been called off after two weeksCredit: Facebook
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The Spanish Civil Guard announced the end of the search on June 30 Credit: Doug Seeburg
Her emotional message was released by British Missing Persons Abroad charity LBT Global, she said: “Jay is a normal guy who is in his third year of an apprenticeship and is a very popular young man with a big circle of friends.
“We are a very close family and we are completely devastated by his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing.
“He is our beautiful boy who has his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.
“We don’t have any information about his whereabouts.
“The Guardia Civil have been working tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was intercepted.
“They conducted a land search for 12 days that included all the resources they had at their disposal.
“Although the search has ended, Spanish police are still investigating why Jay traveled to a location so far from his accommodation.
“We sincerely thank the Spanish authorities who continue to follow up the series of investigations.”
It comes as…
Debbie Duncan’s statement added: “We would like to tell journalists/newspapers/reporters that while we don’t want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we would really like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police continue with their investigation without press disruption.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites and can only describe it as vile, the negative comments are extremely upsetting to our family.
Jay Slater’s distraught mother says she’s ‘trying to stay positive’ after urging Tenerife police not to give up on her son
“We also acknowledge the love and support we have received from around the world.
“It didn’t go unnoticed, especially his hometown in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
“As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this time.”
It comes after Spanish police dramatically called off their search for Jay after a two-week search failed to find any trace of the teenager.
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A distraught Warren was seen putting up missing person posters across TenerifeCredit: Ian Whittaker
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The search operations lasted two weeks, and the police officers called volunteers to help. Credit: Doug Seeburg
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Specialist sniffer dogs have also been deployed in the searchCredit: PA
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, a family source said Jay’s family had been left “broken and devastated” by the Civil Guard’s decision.
His family were said to be “frightening” to wake up to the search being called off as a source called it a “nightmare scenario”.
Parents Debbie and Warren, as well as brother Zak, are all in Tenerife still looking for answers about what happened to Jay.
But the others were “taken aback” by the speed with which the decision to end the search was made.
The Lancashire teenager’s devastated family are yet to learn what happened on June 17 when he went missing.
Five questions still unanswered about Jay Slater’s disappearance
Written by James Halpin
Rolex missing after ‘fight’
Police launched a new investigation Saturday morning into the theft of a Rolex watch just hours before Jay went missing.
It’s unclear how Jay’s disappearance might be connected, but one of Jay’s friends told detectives that the alleged theft may have led to Jay wandering off on his own to try to find the watch.
The Rolex went missing when a fight broke out at the club where Jay was partying, and investigators questioned taxi drivers and bar staff who were on the strip.
Police clear duo
Two mystery Brits who were partying with Jay Slater on the night he disappeared have been branded “irrelevant” by investigators.
Detective Mark Williams-Thomas said the men had stayed with Jay at an Airbnb in Tenerife before he disappeared.
Both are said to be in their late 30s or early 40s and from Luton, Bedfordshire, with one nicknamed “Johnny Vegas”.
The men were only asked to speak to officers briefly before being allowed to fly home to the UK.
Only six volunteers for the ‘massive’ search
Yesterday, Tenerife police launched what they called a “massive” new search with the help of specialist volunteers to find the 19-year-old Briton.
However, only six volunteers reportedly showed up, according to Tiktoker Paul Arnott (29), who flew in to help in the search.
Jay’s father Warren and older brother Zak were seen at the scene of the search.
The area being searched is a 2,000-foot gorge that has a steep footpath that descends to the sea.
Mysterious last phone calls
Jay’s last phone call to his friend Lucy Law was shrouded in mystery and opened up several questions.
The 18-year-old woman told reporters Jay called her in a panic around 8.30am on Monday 17 June.
She recalled him saying he couldn’t catch the bus and would walk back to his apartment.
Jay told her that his phone was almost out of power, that he had cut his leg on a prickly cactus, and that he really needed a drink.
Ping phone
Search teams narrowed their efforts to a small group of buildings near where Jay’s phone last pinged, but found nothing last week.
Jay went on a 45-minute car journey with two men to an Airbnb near Masco in Rural de Teno, a national park in the north of the island.
He posted a Snapchat picture of the £40-a-night dig around 7.30am, in which he appeared to be holding a cigarette and walking down stone steps.
After deciding to leave the cabin, Jay called Lucy before his cell phone went dead at 8:50 a.m. near the park’s hiking trail.
Police officers on the Spanish island have vowed to continue investigating the case if any major tips or information come in.
The dramatic development came less than 24 hours after the “last push” operation was launched.
About 30 policemen, firefighters and Civil Protection went to the mountains in Masca – together with a few volunteers.
The search, which centered around Jay’s last known location, failed to turn up any trace of the man from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
A spokeswoman for the Civil Guard said: “The search operation has now ended although the case remains open.”
A well-placed source added: “The daily operation in and around Masca near where Jay was last seen has come to an end.
“If any information comes in that merits a new search, it will still be acted upon.
“I understand that Jay’s parents have been informed of what is clearly a major development.
“Nothing relevant was found during yesterday’s extensive search.”
Dad Warren also asked anyone with information to come forward.
He previously said: “What’s more, it’s been a week, nothing for a week. So someone somewhere must have found out something. Someone.
“This is a living hell, unless you’re going through it, you can’t explain it.
“I don’t believe he’s still in that mountain. The police made every effort to find him. It is bleak and barren.
“The authorities have done everything they can in the search, everyone is up there looking for him.”
Warren was putting up missing persons posters in the village of Santiago del Teide.
THE JAY SLATER CASE
The young British woman went missing after a night out at the NRG festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas on June 17.
He was last seen traveling with two mysterious men in the north of the island in the Rural de Teno park.
The morning after he made one last frantic phone call to his friend Lucy to tell her he was stranded in the “middle of nowhere”.
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 have 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 picture 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 taken 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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Jay’s friend Brad Hargreaves claims the two mystery men befriended the teenagers before he went home with them and disappeared Credit: Eroteme
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The search could resume if new information comes to light, a source familiar with the situation saidCredit: Doug Seeburg
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Jay was seen at a party the night before he disappeared Credit: Ian Whittaker
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