Jay Slater: Search for missing teenager in Tenerife enters second week
The search for a British teenager who went missing during a holiday in Tenerife has entered its second week.
Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.
The apprentice bricklayer, 19, had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.
The walk from Mr Slater’s last known location, Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.
A fundraiser set up by the last person to speak to Mr Slater hit its target of £30,000 on Sunday.
The GoFundMe created by Lucy Law to “get Jay Slater home” had received £33,000 in donations by Monday morning.
A post on the page from Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, confirmed the fundraiser was “approved by our family”.
The post, published on Sunday, said: “We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves.
“The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page.
“We are extremely worried and are doing everything we can to find Jay.”
A GoFundMe spokesperson said: “We are in touch with Jay Slater’s mother, Debbie, and working with her to keep everyone updated on how their donations will be used in the search.
“For now, the money is with GoFundMe as we work through the next steps.”
Ms Law said her friend told her in a frantic phone call last Monday at 8.30am that he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.
Search teams in Tenerife narrowed their efforts over the weekend on small buildings close to where his phone last pinged.
Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Islands could be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park on Sunday.
Efforts appeared to be solely focused on the one area after days of searches in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.
The efforts come after the teenager’s mother issued a direct plea to her missing son, saying: “We just need you home.”
Debbie Duncan said she had “not slept” since the 19-year-old disappeared.
Mr Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers, and carrying a black bag.
