Spanish police have spoken to several people who said they may have seen Jay Slater watching Euro 2024 matches after his last contact with friends, a local mayor has said.
Emilio Jose Navarro, mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, said officers have interviewed a number of people who believe they saw the missing 19-year-old.
Police are examining grainy CCTV footage from the town, which is around three-and-a-half miles from the mountainous Rural de Teno park – his last known location – to determine whether it is a sighting of the apprentice bricklacker.
The image, shared by the family to media outlets, shows a person walking through town and was captured around 10 hours after Jay’s phone last pinged.
Mr Slater’s family also gave a statement through a spokesperson on Wednesday afternoon, telling reporters in Tenerife they are “utterly broken” but “very united”.
Jay Slater’s family are ‘utterly broken’ and ‘still holding out hope’ to find teen in Tenerife
The 19-year-old has not been heard from since last Monday morning, when he contacted a friend shortly after 8am to say he was lost in the Rural de Teno park and had only one per cent phone battery.
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas has now flown over from the UK after offering the family his assistance, as Spanish police and sniffer dogs continue to scour the mountainous region in the north of the island.
Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:
Tara Cobham27 June 2024 08:52
Are TikTokers and Facebook sleuths drowning out actual leads in the hunt for Jay Slater?
Fake rumours of a body being found in the hunt for Jay Slater have spread like wildfire across Facebook, TikTok and other social media sites as thousands of users share disinformation.
But distasteful pranks like this could cause a fatal distraction, with days going by since Ms Slater was last seen.
Friends of the teenager are begging for people to keep up the massive search along the rocky hillsides of Tenerife, full of treacherous ravines and cacti.
Read more from Barney Davis:
Tara Cobham27 June 2024 07:02
The vanished of Tenerife: Other people who disappeared on the island where Jay Slater went missing
Tourists looking for an easygoing, fun holiday in the sun have headed to the island of Tenerife for decades.
From the party vibes of the neon-lit strip of Playa De Las Americas to the spiritual hikes across cacti-infested ravines in the heat, there is something for everyone.
But with its rocky cliff faces and harsh terrain, the island also has a dangerous side with completely inaccessible areas.
Tom Barnes27 June 2024 06:13
Police searching for Jay Slater rescue lost Scottish hiker in Tenerife national park
Police searching for missing hiker Jay Slater have rescued a Scottish hiker from the same Tenerife national park in Spain.
The 51-year-old hiker from Scotland was rescued on Friday during a search for Mr Slater, 19, who went missing a week ago, police said on Tuesday.
The Scot was found “tired and disoriented” having gone into a “difficult” area not suitable for travel.
Police said “he was located by the agents and the rescue team who helped him get out of the ravine”.
“We want to thank these neighbours for giving alert to this situation because, due to the difficulty and lack of communication in the area, this hiker would not have managed to get out by his own means without the help received.”
Shweta Sharma27 June 2024 06:00
On the ground with the desperate search for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife
From the winding main road which links the villages of Masca and Las Portelas, close to where 19-year-old Jay Slater disappeared, four white police cars can be spotted, parked down a deep ravine.
Officers from the Guardia Civil dressed in green and black spend their day walking among the shrubs, accompanied by a sniffer dog as the search continues more than a week after he went missing.
Read more from The Independent’s Holly Evans, who is in Tenerife, here:
Tom Barnes27 June 2024 05:37
Local mayor does not believe Jay Slater is in Santiago del Teide
The Independent’s Holly Evans reports from Tenerife:
Speaking from his office in the town hall, local mayor Emilio Navarro stated his belief that Jay Slater had not reached Santiago del Teide.
“The Guardia Civil sent us an email asking for our security cameras. We could not give it to them as they are organised through a separate company, so the police are speaking to them. But that CCTV picture is not from us and I do not recognise that place – I do not think it is in Santiago del Tiede and he is not here.
“We will help the police but it makes no sense. We have had family and journalists here but we have seen no police.”
Tara Cobham27 June 2024 04:22
The unanswered questions about missing teenager’s disappearance in Tenerife
As concerns grow for his welfare, questions have begun to emerge as to how the apprentice bricklayer has seemingly vanished in an area inundated with tourists.
Tom Barnes27 June 2024 03:13
Watch: Police and sniffer dogs continue search
Spanish police and sniffer dogs continue search for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife
Spanish police have released helicopter footage as the search for Jay Slater continues. The search for the British teenager, who went missing during a holiday in Tenerife, has already entered its second week. Sniffer dogs and helicopters are still being used to try and find the 19-year-old. “We continue with the search for the young British man who disappeared in Tenerife,” the Guardia Civil wrote, sharing the helicopter footage on social media. Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday 17 June.
Jane Dalton27 June 2024 00:10
