Jay Slater’s friend ‘convinced’ he is being ‘held against his will’

The last person to see missing Jay Slater said her friends are “convinced” he was taken against his will.

Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen in Tenerife and was reported missing on Monday 17 June. He had gone to the island with friends for the NRG music festival, but disappeared after leaving with people he met after a night out.

Jay was scheduled to fly back to the UK this morning, June 20, but never made the flight. A major search is underway, with police dogs, mountain rescue teams and his friends and family all involved.

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The last time anyone heard from Jay was around 8am on Monday, June 17, when he called his friend, Lucy Mae Law. He told her his phone was about to die, he needed a glass of water and he didn’t know where he was. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Distraught mum Debbie worries “something bad” has happened to him and suggested he may have been taken “against his will”.

Today, friend Lucy echoed these fears. She told MailOnline that “it’s all so weird” and out of character for the teenager.

She said: “It’s been three days since he was last seen and the more time goes by the more certain I am that he has been taken. At first I wasn’t so sure, but now I’m convinced. He is not stupid. if he had left the house alone, he would have walked to the road and then tried to flag down a car or flag someone down for help.

“The last time we heard from him was around 9am, so the place he would have been walking would have had hikers and tourists.

“The more time goes by and he hasn’t been seen, the more convinced we are that he was taken by someone and is being held against his will.”

Lucy told the Mirror: “We need British police here. I just want to find my partner. He was missing for three days. It doesn’t look good right now. We feel like it’s up to us to find him and that we’re doing more than the police. The police here don’t speak English and don’t even have a translator after three days. I feel like it’s pushing me away. I still have the same questions I did when I first reported Jay missing.”

Jay’s mother, Debbie, also believes her son is being held against his will. She said: “I haven’t slept since all this started and I’m not going to go to the search site right now.

“I was warned I’d be freaked out when I saw how rocky it was and I probably don’t have the strength right now. I just want to be here if he shows up, but I have a problem. I think he is being held against his will. He’s not a stupid boy.

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