Jay Slater’s friends leave Tenerife and fly home in search of the missing teenager

Two of Jay Slater’s closest friends have left Tenerife and returned to the UK as the search for the missing teenager continues. The 19-year-old has been missing for over three weeks and was last seen on the island of Tenerife on June 17.

He had been on holiday with friends Lucy Law, 18, and Brad Hargreaves, 19, and was last seen partying at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas the night before he disappeared, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Both Lucy and Brad have now left the Spanish holiday destination and returned to the UK despite the search for the missing Jay. Lucy is said to have returned to the UK last week, while Brad returned last Sunday, accompanied by his mother Rachel, who is actively involved in the search for Jay through a Facebook page she runs.

Read more:

However, as search efforts continue in Tenerife, several online trolls have been spreading theories about Jay’s disappearance online, with some questioning Lucy’s version of events on the day he went missing. At present, the Hargreaves have chosen not to issue any statement.

According to 18-year-old Lucy, she was the last known person to speak to Jay, who told her he was lost, thirsty and had a 1% phone battery before he disappeared without a trace in Tenerife. However, despite the police accepting this account, many online trolls did not, with several taking to social media to criticize and harass the teenager.

Lucy, deeply affected by the situation, decided to deactivate her Facebook account, but briefly returned to social media after returning to the UK. She took to Instagram earlier this week and shared a cryptic post that only added to the intrigue of those following the case.

Her upload was a selfie with Jay, accompanied by a crying emoji and a blue heart, but the post has since been deleted.

Meanwhile, as his friends returned home, Jay’s uncle Glen Duncan, who has spoken of his displeasure with the search efforts, is believed to have flown back to the UK on Tuesday. Speaking earlier to Sky News from Santiago del Teide, a quaint rural town, he expressed the family’s “desperation” but also their unwavering hope to find the missing teenager.

“So far we’ve been in touch with the British consulate here who have told us it’s still a real investigation, we just have to sit tight,” he said. “It really adds to the desperation.”

Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared after leaving a rave in Tenerife with two other Britons and spending the night at an Airbnb in a remote village. This trip marked the first time he traveled abroad.

The last known contact with Jay was on Monday, June 17, when he tried to return to Los Christianos, where he was on holiday with his friends Lucy and Brad.

A Civil Guard spokesman addressed the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 19-year-old Jay, saying: “The investigation is ongoing and several lines of inquiry are being pursued.” This comment came amid rumors that Jay had “disappeared the dreaded dead”.

Waltham Abbey Mayor Shane Yerrell, an experienced mountaineer with past summits such as Kilimanjaro and Mount Olympus, joined the search for Jay over the weekend. Along with Jay’s father Warren, 58, brother Zak, 24, and other friends and family members, he explored the area where Jay was last seen.

Shane said he has pledged to continue his support for the distraught family, including Jay’s mother Debbie, and plans to return to the island to help with the search.

Expressing his sympathy for the family, Shane said: “I’m just living on hope. It’s awful – they have no answers. I don’t know if Jay is alive or dead.”

Regarding Jay’s parents’ continued hopes for his survival, Shane said: “Of course. I would be exactly the same. Until you know for sure.”

Flying more than 2,000 miles from Essex to Tenerife last week after contacting Jay’s family and offering his help, Shane has been instrumental in helping many families in need since 2011, raising almost £200,000 for those in need.

Although there have been no sightings of Jay, missing persons expert Charlie Hedges still offers some hope for the family. Charlie said all may not be lost, saying the missing teenager may have survived by drinking rainwater and eating plants.

After the search ended abruptly, Army reservist Juan Garcia criticized police for prematurely ending their efforts. Speaking to The Times, Garcia suggested: “Two weeks is too soon to end the search. (Slater) could be alive somewhere – someone can drink rainwater and eat plants. The family should not give up to hope”.

Explaining this, former detective Hedges told The Sun in a separate interview: “It’s certainly possible. I think it’s important to let the inquiry keep all lines of inquiry open until they are proven to be unviable.

“That’s a long time to survive without food. It depends on how much rain there is, if there is enough water.”