Jay Slater family offered hope as key phone call highlighted by expert | Great Britain | News

A glimmer of hope has been thrown into the harrowing search for missing Lancashire teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife as a former Missing Persons chief has highlighted a crucial clue which could narrow the search area.

Mike Neville, the former head of Lambeth’s missing persons unit, spoke to GB News about the significant development that Jay made contact with a friend shortly before his disappearance, allowing search efforts to focus on a more specific location.

Drawing parallels with the recent tragic case of TV personality Dr Michael Mosley, who was found dead after disappearing on the Greek island of Simi, Neville remarked: “I hope this will come to a successful conclusion.

“It’s like the Mosley tragedy here because when you look at the park, it’s a similar environment.”

He continued, emphasizing the importance of the phone call Jay made, “But because he made that phone call, they might be able to identify that area. It’s different in that way to Mosley, it’s a narrower area. The police will lead all kinds of search teams and the use of helicopters and potentially drones will know certain leads and I am sure that the Spanish police will organize a professional and coordinated search.

Adding to the discussion, host Andrew Pierce noted that Jay’s youth and health could give him an advantage in surviving the difficult conditions, in contrast to Dr. Mosley’s older situation.

Andrew expressed his concern for the missing boy, saying: “Looking at the photos of him, he’s a fit boy, hopefully he’s found a water source and my prayers go out to his mum and the rest of his family.” He followed that with a glimmer of hope: “I hope he’s just dehydrated and the police treat him.”

Mike pointed out another positive in Jay’s case; its last sighting was landlocked, avoiding potential maritime hazards. “The good thing here is that it’s far from the sea,” Mike remarked, then added: “The danger is if people go into the sea. That really is a problem. He seems to be on land on that island.”

Jay is from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire and was last heard from on Monday when he called his girlfriend Lucy to say he was disoriented and in need of water as he attempted the daunting 11-hour walk back to his home.

During the call, Jay revealed that he had attended a rave with some new friends, missed the bus back, and thus was struggling to make his way back armed with nothing but a dying phone battery. His last known location was the Rural Park of Teno, a hilly area frequented by hikers before his cell phone went missing.

Jay’s search continues.