Jay Slater's mum issues desperate plea after Spanish police reject help in search for missing Brit

23 June 2024, 00:16

Jay Slater's mum has issued an impassioned plea for her missing son to come home - and suggested Spanish police may feel insulted by Lancashire cops offering to help them in the search.

Asked what her message would be for Mr Slater, she told the PA news agency: "We just need you home - we just need him home."

She said: "I've not slept, I'm exhausted. It's been awful.

"I can't give up on him, I just can't."

Ms Duncan added that she did not know whether the Spanish authorities turning down an offer of help from the UK was because they viewed it as "an insult".

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had travelled to the Canary Islands for a weekend music festival with two friends when he disappeared late on Sunday evening.

He was attending the 'New Rave Generation' (NRG) festival, but chose to stay behind with a group of strangers he had met instead of returning to where he was staying with friends.

Jay made a final call to one of his friends, Lucy Mae, at around 8am on Monday before he vanished. He sounded disorientated, explaining that he was "in the middle of mountains" with "nothing around", she said.

Questioned on whether the Spanish authorities should have accepted help from Lancashire Constabulary, Ms Duncan said: "I believe they said they've got enough resources and they don't need the help from English police.

"I don't know if they find it an insult - I really don't know. I really don't know.

"They say they've got enough resources to get on with the investigation... I don't know, I don't know.

Spanish police rejected help from Lancashire Constabulary as the desperate search for missing Brit Jay Slater in Tenerife continues.

The focus area of the search for Jay reportedly moved to the ravine area in the Masca Valley on Friday - around 100 metres down below a rental property he visited after the festival.

Lancashire Constabulary confirmed that it had offered to assist in the search for Jay but Spanish police turned them down.

Read more: Helicopters and sniffer dogs deployed as Spanish authorities focus on new terrain in search for missing Jay Slater

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In a statement, the force said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with Jay's family at this time.

"They must be going through the most distressing ordeal not knowing what has happened to their loved one.

"We have specialist officers who are continuing to support Jay's family.

"Whilst this case falls outside the jurisdiction of UK policing, we have made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources.

"They have confirmed that at this time they are satisfied that they have the resources they need, but that offer remains open and they will contact us should that position change.

"Once again, our thoughts remain with Jay's family and friends at this distressing time."

It comes after Jay's friends criticised Spanish police for "not doing a good enough job".

Lucy told The Times: "We were driving around the island for 12 hours. We have been everywhere you can imagine, up and down the mountain several times and searching spots that he might have sheltered in.

"We are having to do this all by ourselves as Spanish police are not doing a good enough job. They don’t even speak English.

"It’s been a very slow process here so we need the British police to come out and help them.”

The owner of the flat where Jay had visited after the festival said she spotted him "walking fast" up a dangerous ravine.

Ophelia, who owns Casa Abuela Tina, said she was "very worried" about him following his disappearance.

She said she saw him walk off on his own in a mountainous area near Masca.

"It’s dangerous walking around here, it’s easy to lose yourself," she told Manchester Evening News.

"He walked up the road when I saw him for the last time.

"He was alone. He was walking normally, though he was fast."

On Thursday night, the Spanish Civil Guard shared a video of their search efforts for Jay.

Sharing the footage to X, they wrote: “The search for the young British man missing in the Masca neighbourhood of Buenavista (Tenerife) continues, in which different units of the Civil Guard participate.”

The footage showed officers scouring different expanses of the mountainous region by foot, car and helicopter.