‘Scared’ Jay Slater fled Airbnb after ‘stealing £12k Rolex’, private investigator claims

3 July 2024, 10:57 | Updated: 3 July 2024, 11:08

Jay Slater has been missing since June 17
Jay Slater has been missing since June 17. Picture: social media/Alamy
Kieran Kelly

By Kieran Kelly

A ‘scared’ Jay Slater fled the Airbnb he stayed in with two men after admitting to stealing a £12,000 Rolex, a private investigator has claimed.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Mark Williams-Thomas, who worked on the Madeleine McCann case, said Jay, 19, did not want to return to the Airbnb in Tenerife - despite his phone running low on battery.

Williams-Thomas claimed on his Twitter page that Jay posted a Snapchat saying he had taken the Rolex from an unidentified person.

Jay, from Lancashire, has been missing since June 17, when he was on holiday for a weekend music festival with two friends.

Jay Slater and his mum, Debbie Duncan
Jay Slater and his mum, Debbie Duncan. Picture: social media

Police are understood to be speaking to witnesses about an alleged Rolex theft at a beach club hours before the teenager’s disappearance.

A ‘brawl’ reportedly broke out at the Papagayo Beach Club in the early morning of June 17 after an Eastern European man allegedly had his watch taken.

Read More: 'Words cannot describe the pain': Mum of missing Brit Jay Slater shares heartbreaking update as land search ends

Read More: Inside the Tenerife Airbnb where missing teenager Jay Slater stayed before going missing

Williams-Thomas added that he has not been able to verify whether what Jay said was true, but that friends have said “he would not make this up”.

“The watch was subject of later conversation between the friends,” he added.

The new development comes after Jay’s mum issued a heartbreaking new statement about the disappearance of her boy.

Mark Williams-Thomas
Mark Williams-Thomas. Picture: X/Mark Williams-Thomas
Several personnel during the macro search for 19-year-old British tourist Jay Slater
Several personnel during the macro search for 19-year-old British tourist Jay Slater. Picture: Alamy

Debbie Duncan said “words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing”.

Ms Duncan thanked the Spanish Civil Guard, who she said have “worked tirelessly” around the area in the mountains where Jay’s phone was traced.

In a statement issued through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: "Jay is a normal guy who is in his third 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.

"We do not have any information on his whereabouts.

"The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phonecall 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 inquiries."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

After she was arrested she told detectives the stabbing was “punishment”.

Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP could walk free from prison

Bank Of England In The City Of London

UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April following Trump Tariffs hit - as Reeves brands figures 'disappointing'

Elderly women watching TV in outpatient clinic waiting room in NHS hospital. UK

NHS should ‘tear up the outpatient model’, health service chief executive says

Brian Wilson passed away aged 82.

Surviving Beach Boys pay tribute to songwriter ‘genius’ Brian Wilson

Palestinians carry boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 29, 2025.

Controversial aid distributer accuses Hamas of carrying out attack on bus transporting Palestinians

A net balance of 28% of professionals reported seeing the number of sales agreed falling. Sales volumes are generally expected to flatten out rather than fall in the three months ahead, the survey indicated.

House sales tipped to bounce back with 'strongest outlook' since February - but buyer interest still slipping

Supporters of Dignity in Dying celebrate on hearing the result of the vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London.

UK doctor says helping patients die in Australia is a ‘tremendous privilege’ and calls for law change at home

The body of Yair Yaakov, 59, has reportedly been recovered.

Two more hostages recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza, Netanyahu says

There were reports of vehicles being damaged and burned out, stolen cars, motorbikes being used and bricks thrown at officers amid the disorder, Greater Manchester Police said.

Girl, 16, charged with assaulting an emergency worker in Salford after ‘60 masked youths’ clash with police

The affected products include the Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, “Misfits” Gummies, Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, and Berry Gummies, the FSA said.

'Don't eat them': Brits told to avoid popular American sweets linked to cancer amid 'toxicological concern'

A woman has been arrested after a four-year-old boy was found dead in Dunholme End.

Boy, 4, found dead inside Maidenhead home as police arrest woman on suspicion of murder

St Michael's Church, Mytholmroyd

Village church ordered to silence 'cherished' chiming bells after residents' complaints spark huge row

The Bridgerton actress said she has been left with a concussion and "on edge" - and the incident traumatised her dog.

Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour left 'traumatised' after fighting off phone thief who threatened to 'stab' her

Shopper walking through the aisle of a supermarket.

Deadly disease outbreak linked to 'contaminated' UK supermarket item

Demonstrators gathered outside Stoke Newington Police Station in protest against police in schools, after it emerged that a 15-year-old Black girl ('Child Q') was strip-searched by police at a Hackney school, which is thought to be racially motivated.

Officer who strip-searched black schoolgirl while she was on her period admits failings but denies racist motivation

Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England

My mum finds Jude Bellingham’s on-field antics repulsive, says Thomas Tuchel