Jay Slater LIVE: Major search update as Tenerife police make desperate plea for help

The former British police detective working for missing Jay Slater's distraught family has welcomed Spanish police's decision to make a public appeal for help in finding him.

Tenerife Civil Guard police chief Angel Sanz Coronado issued a public statement on Friday morning asking volunteers to join the hunt for the 19-year-old, alongside his officers, on Saturday.

TV sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas, 54, said: “A strong working hypothesis remains that Jay has come to natural harm in the terrain as he took the rugged course back down the hill from the point of his location drop , where I am confident now that he was at 8.50am last Monday morning.

"So for the police chief to issue a statement in Spanish asking local residents, who will know the area well, to join a massive co-ordinated search is a very good action to take .”

Brian Harrison, a British ex-pat living in Tenerife, believes Jay, 19, could have taken the Masca Gorge Trail, a popular hiking route.

The surveying expert, 57, says the route, known locally as Barranco de Masca, can be extremely perilous if hikers diverge from the path.

But he added that the area also has dozens of narrow aqueducts and waterfalls meaning Jay could have found access to water.

He said: "Logic suggests that if Jay did get lost, maybe he was heading down towards the ocean. It's feasible he has taken the Masca Gorge Trail and has fallen and injured himself.

"There are some sheer drops along the route, there is danger. If he's fallen it is feasibly possible that he’s got some water from somewhere, meaning he could still be alive, it's a possibility."

Mr Harrison, who is also the Secretary General of the Tenerife Ecological Association, added: "The area has lots of aqueducts that farmers use to feed their goats and there's a waterfall down there.”

Police are continuing their hunt to find missing British teenager Jay Slater - and are being helped by his desperate family and friends.

Rachel Hargreaves, the mum of Jay's friend Bradley, who travelled to Tenerife with the teen for the NRG festival, has flown out to the Canary Island to support distraught mum Debbie Duncan.

Amid the search for the apprentice bricklayer, who has not been seen since June 17, Rachel has helped run an online Facebook group that the family set up.

But the page, which now has more than 590,000 members, has seen Rachel targetted by online trolls - with one cruelly impersonating her late mother.

Ms Hargreaves, a chef from Accrington in Lancashire, said she received a friend request on the social media platform from a fake account, using the name and photo of her mother who died eight months ago.

A former senior officer at the Metropolitan Police has said he believes Jay Slater has either plunged into a ravine, deliberately disappeared or has even been kidnapped.

Peter Kirkahm, who served in the country's biggest police force for more than 20 years, has given a grim assessment of the situation as the search for him enters its 12th day.

Writing in the Mirror, he said: "In the circumstances as first reported, and in particular the last phone call he is known to have made, the most obvious theory is that Jay Slater became lost whilst trying to walk back through a remote and difficult area totally unknown to him."

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Donations flooded in after GoFundMe appeal "Get Jay Slater home" was set up by Lucy Law, his friend and the last person to speak to him, and by Friday more than £40,000 had been raised.

In an update on Thursday, Ms Duncan said: "We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held.

"I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

"Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses."

It could take months before any sign of Jay Slateris found, locals in Tenerife said last night.

Officers from Spain's Guardia Civil have spent over a week searching the area surrounding the last-known location of the apprentice bricklayer.

He was last seen in a remote area close to the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, which was an epic 11-hour walk from the accommodation in the south of the island.

Jay went missing last Monday after attending a three-day rave.

In addition to the crack squad of officers from Madrid, search parties of friends and family are also involved in the search.

An army of internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists are also chipping in.

Speaking outside a cafe in Masca, locals told The Independent how similar disappearances have happened in the area before.

One local woman, identified only by her first name, Anita, said: “We often have hikers go missing, every summer it is the same.

"Police come for a week and search and then they go – sometimes it can take months for a body to be found as the mountains are too difficult to search."

Amazon has been slammed for cashing in on the sale of books peddling wild conspiracy theories about missing Jay Slater.

Sellers used AI technology to pen the books just days after the 19-year-old vanished in Tenerife. One even claims he’s dead.

Amazon receives a proportion of the sale of each of the books - available as paperbacks or digital downloads for a Kindle.

Today, Chantal Korcz of the charity Missing People slammed our findings and urged publishers to “avoid speculation.”

She added: “The disappearance of Jay Slater calls for our united support.

"Let’s be mindful of our words and actions, which includes not pre-empting the outcome of the ongoing search for Jay, that this listing on Amazon may imply.”

Spanish investigators believe the missing 19-year-old may have fallen into a ravine in the vast Teno Rural Park near where he stayed with two men last Sunday after attending a rave at the Papagayo Beach Club with his friends.

They are now narrowing their search after it was revealed there are scouring baron caves in the remote nature reserve.

Jay Slater's best friend has revealed the conversation the pair had before the 19-year-old went missing earlier this month.

Speaking to ITV's This Morning reporter Isla Traquair, Brad recalled a video call between him and Jay.

He said: "He was on the phone walking down a road and he’d gone over a little bit - not a big drop - but a tiny little drop and he was going down, and he said ‘I’ll ring ya back, I’ll ring ya back’ because I think someone else was ringing him.

"If he was thinking like me, he would have gone back up and started walking on the path again… He wouldn't have gone all that way down there."

Brad added that he knew Jay had gone off-road because he could hear him walking on gravel. Afterwards, when he was asked about whether or not he was concerned, he commented: "Not at the time because we were both laughing and he said, ‘Look where I am’ and I was like, ‘I’ve just come out of a festival’.

"He didn’t seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he was. I said, ‘Put your location on' and he said ‘a 15 minute drive or a 14 hour walk, I don’t know if it’s accurate or not’ and I said, ‘If it’s only a 15 minute drive, get a taxi’."

Rescuers are facing difficult conditions as they search for Jay Slater.

Photographs show the types of rocky terrain they have been facing since the teenager went missing on June 17.

Earlier today the police announced they were launching a new search operation at 9am on Saturday morning.

The GoFundMe page set up by a friend of Jay Slater Lucy Law has reached £40,0000. As the fund breached the five-figure total, Jay's mother Debbie Duncan issued an update.

She said: "I would like to thank everyone for your support, kind messages, and good wishes. It’s difficult to wrap our heads around what is happening right now, but we are not losing hope that we will find Jay and return home together.

We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held. I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

"Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses.

"I'm surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we'll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times."

The two last known people to have been with missing teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife have since flown home to the United Kingdom.

The 19-year-old is believed to have left the NRG music festival the night before he went missing with two men he had met at the event. He ended up at a property in the Rural de Teno National Park, a 10-hour walk from where he was staying with his friends.

The pair, who reportedly didn't attend the festival, had rented a hire car to allow them to drive easily around the island and back to their remote holiday let, named Casa Abuela Tina, located just outside the village of Masca.

The Tenerife Civil Guard has announced a new operation on the twelfth day of their search for Jay Slater with the announcement of a new search starting at 9am on Saturday morning around the village of Masca.Announcing the plan, Tenerife Civil Guard police chief Angel Sanz Coronado said: "Following the disappearance on June 17 of the young 19-year-old British man in the area of Masca, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, the Civil Guard is prepared to carry out a mass search.

“Given that it is a steep, rocky area, full of uneven terrain and with many ravines, tracks and trails, we request the collaboration of all those Volunteer Associations that can help in this planned search that is intended to be carried out in a directed and coordinated way.

"This massive search will begin on Saturday 29 June at 09:00 hours. A meeting point will be established at the Mirador de la Cruz de Hilda in Masca to start the search in a logical and orderly way along the many paths and ravines that are found in Masca."

As the search for Jay Slater enters its 12th day, police have moved their search area to a group of caves near Los Carrizales.

The location is around a 90-minute walk from the AirBnb Jay stayed in, the Independent reports. However, as the search area changed, a well-informed source told the Sun about what this means for the operation.

They said: "No one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end, even though it’s very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains in the way we were told he did.

“There will be a point when the operation that’s taking place at the moment has to at least be scaled back but right now the search teams appear to have decided they want to give themselves more time.”

The search for Jay Slater has entered its 12th day. Here's what we know so far:

Jay Slater has not been found since he was reported missing on June 17 Police have started searching a cave system near Los Carrizales Mayor of Santiago del Teide Emilio Jos Navarro says police have spoken to people who may have seen Jay before he went missing A GoFundMe for Jay Slater has surpassed £40,000. Jay's mother Debbie Duncan has said she is withdrawing some money to go towards the search efforts

A former Metropolitan Police officer has given his top three theories on what has happened to Jay Slater as the frantic search for the British teenager missing in Tenerife continues.

CCTV footage of what could show Jay Slater before he went missing has prompted the town's mayor to say "he's not here".

The Mayor of the town - Santiago del Tiede - where Jay may have been sighted does not think he even set foot in the area which is around four miles from where he went missing.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Mayor Emilio Navarro said: "He's not here. 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."

Jay Slater's mother is working to get GoFundMe to release some of the funds in order to aid the search to find her son.Debbie Duncan wants to withdraw some of the £39,000 raised by Lucy Mae Law's page to help expedite the search. Writing online she said: "We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held.

"I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay. Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses.

"I'm surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we'll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times."

The search for Jay Slater has moved to caves near Los Carrizales. The location is around an hour and a half on foot from the Airbnb Jay stayed in, the Independent reports. Los Carrizales is a little hamlet not far from Masca in the Teno mountains.

A source told the Sun that it is "very unlikely" that Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains.

The source said: " No-one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end, even though it’s very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains in the way we were told he did.

“There will be a point when the operation that’s taking place at the moment has to at least be scaled back but right now the search teams appear to have decided they want to give themselves more time."

Ex-detective for the Metropolitan Police Peter Bleksley has commented on the swathe of online activity following the disappearance of Jay Slater earlier this month.

Mr Bleksley said that people on social media can make the task of finding someone a little harder.

He commented: "People are spreading gossip and rumours online which are hurtful to families."

As well as theories flooding social media, Mr Bleksley has suggested that despite the noise, for the family it could be hard to avoid taking a look at what is being said.

He explained: "It's a human instinct to want to cling to any ray of light so families will look at this stuff. I would advise against it, but it's understandable why they would dive into it. They're hoping for something. It's hope that keeps you going in a case like this."

An ex-detective has claimed that Lancashire Police's offer to help in the location of Jay Slater is about control.

Peter Bleksley, a former Metropolitan Police detective, said that some police forces can be unwilling to accept offers of outside help.

He explained: " Policing is all about control, the world over. They control people in demonstrations, crowds at football matches, crime scenes, witnesses and suspects.

"The minute you let another law enforcement agency into your enquiry you start to surrender that element of control, and the police don't like that. That will be why they declined assistance from Lancashire Police."

Fomer Metropolitan Police officer Peter Kirkham, who served in the force for more than 20 years at all ranks up to Detective Chief Inspector, added: "The reports that Jay had left his friends and gone off with two men he had apparently just met whilst clubbing make this a possibility requiring urgent investigation. The two men – who reportedly say that Jay left them in good health – are the key start point here and the police in Tenerife should be prioritising investigation of this line of enquiry. If, as has been reported, the men are British and back in the UK then this is again an area in which the UK authorities have hopefully been engaged to assist.

"The pre-planned version would normally only be something done by people with a serious criminal history and / or would involve someone with a major conflict with Jay, such as a debt of thousands of pounds or criminal property, such as drugs, of similar value. This is another area in which the start point for the police is Jay’s background, with extensive enquiries into his family, friends and associates as well as his own history. Though unlikely, this possibility cannot be ruled out.

"Taken together, these three basic categories of theory cover pretty much every possibility. In order to conduct a thorough and competent investigation the police must keep an open mind and pursue lines of enquiry relating to all three of them. That said, in the real world of limited resources, it is inevitable and perfectly acceptable for the police to prioritise them. Thus far the priority has been on the first possibility – that Jay has become lost and succumbed to illness or injury – but as time moves on and no trace of him is found, there will be a need to look harder at the other options."

Jay Slater has either plunged into a ravine, deliberately disappeared or has even been kidnapped, a former Metropolitan Police officer believes.

Peter Kirkham, who served in the force for more than 20 years at all ranks up to Detective Chief Inspector, assessed the grave situation as the search for Jay, an apprentice bricklayer, continued for an eleventh day in Tenerife. His bleak pessimism is echoed by sources on the island, who fear the teenager won't be found alive if he did get lost in the mountains on Monday June 17.

Mr Kirkham writes: "In the circumstances as first reported, and in particular the last phone call he is known to have made, the most obvious theory is that Jay Slater became lost whilst trying to walk back through a remote and difficult area totally unknown to him.

"He may also have fallen into a ravine or something similar and have become injured and incapacitated. This possibility leads to the searches that we have seen the police making but the area involved is so large that, even now, only a fraction can possibly have been thoroughly searched. Sadly, if this is the explanation, after such an extended period missing, it is unlikely that Jay will be found alive. But the police will keep reviewing what they have done and moving on to the next most likely area.

"A second possibility, which must always be considered, is that Jay has deliberately disappeared for some reason. As we find out more about him, it seems he has a somewhat chequered past which may well have led to his disappearance. The police will be pursuing lines of enquiry related to his background and domestic circumstances to identify if this is a viable possibility. This is an aspect of the investigation which the UK police will be far better placed to progress. I would hope that the Spanish authorities, who retain primacy in this investigation, have made contact with the Lancashire Police with a request to assist in this regard.

"The third possibility that needs to be considered is that Jay has been kidnapped, or worse, by another person. This could be a spur of the moment thing, arising from a spontaneous situation which has arisen, or a pre-planned thing arising from a longer-term conflict or dispute. The spontaneous version need not involve anyone with any significant criminal history and so could involve anyone. Nor does it need to involve any intent to cause him any harm – it could have been some sort of accidental illness or injury followed by panic on the part of others present."

A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: “The Civil Guard is continuing to search for the young British man who disappeared, carrying out inspections of all the paths, trails and ravines belonging to the village of Masca within the municipality of Buenavista del Norte."

Police searching for Jay Slater in Tenerife have said it is ‘very unlikely’ he will be found alive if he got lost in the mountains. The Civil Guard on the island are pushing ahead with the search for the 19-year-old, who vanished 11 days ago.

Police say there is no talk yet of halting the search despite growing concerns they will find a body. The Civil Guard which has been leading the operation near Masca said today it was continuing as normal.

A well-placed source added: “No-one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end, even though it’s very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains in the way we were told he did.

“There will be a point when the operation that’s taking place at the moment has to at least be scaled back but right now the search teams appear to have decided they want to give themselves more time.”

This Morning has come under fire for sending one of its reporters jetting off to Tenerife to search for missing teen Jay Slater.

Isla Traquair landed a flight to the island for a segment on Jay, retracing his steps from the club he was last seen at to the bus stop where he asked a passer-by what time the next bus was. She ended up in the mountains where search teams were poring over the ground for any trace of the teen, revealing helicopters were flying overhead.

Isla explained she’s well equipped for the rugged climate because she’s Scottish and knows how to deal with the terrain – but others might not be as lucky.

But the segment came just a day after the This Morning hosts had spoken out against TikTokers investigating the case, and warned others not to fly out to Tenerife to join the same search. Fuming fans turned to X – formerly Twitter – to share their outrage.

One fumed: “Isla now doing exactly what she scolded everyone else for? But she’s worse and taken in 5000 steps further.” As another said: “Isla ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is on the case now!”

More viewers chimed in to say: “Oh she’s not messing is she, after yesterday’s segment, ‘You know, I think it’d be a brilliant idea if I go to Tenerife’.” Someone else agreed: “Managed to wangle herself a trip to Tenerife!”

Somebody else pointed out: “Hold on, yesterday TikTok people going to Tenerife were getting in the way but it’s okay to send yet another reporter there?” Someone else joked: “Don’t worry, This Morning is on the hunt for Jay!”

Jay Slater was ambushed and beaten up by gang members when he was 12 years-old, it has been revealed.

The 19-year-old, who is still missing in Tenerife, was left "shaken up" after the traumatic attack in November 2017.

A Tenerife local has issued a grim warning over the search for the missing British teenager.

Local woman Anita warned people go missing in the Tenerife mountains "every summer" and it can take "months" for police to find anything.

She told The Independent: "We often have hikers go missing, every summer it is the same. Police come for a week and search and then they go – sometimes it can take months for a body to be found as the mountains are too difficult to search."

New pictures show the 19-year-old at the resort Playa de las Americas with his friend Lucy Mar Law and other partygoers.

The images were shared online by a female holidaymaker who has not been identified.

In the post, she said: "Just came across these in my camera roll. Not sure if they could be of any help, Jay sort of looks like he's standing (by) himself while Lucy is speaking to his other friends."

Jay Slater's mum has posted an update on a GoFundMe page, telling supporters the family is trying to release funds to help support mountain rescue teams and to fly loved ones to Tenerife.

Debbie Duncan also said funds would also be used to cover the cost of food and accommodation for the family.

She wrote: "I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

"Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses.

"I'm surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we'll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times."

Jay Slater's mum, Debbie Duncan, has urged the public to pray for her missing son.

Ms Duncan told Sky News yesterday that she has "every faith" in those carrying out the search for the 19-year-old.

She added: "As a family we are in a living nightmare.

"We have no further updates other than Jay is still missing and we are just ignoring the social media side of things."

The Mayor of the town in Tenerife where Jay Slater was potentially sighted on CCTV cameras, Santiago del Tiede, has said he does not believe the missing Lancashire teen ever made it there. Speaking emphatically to journalists, he told them, "He's not here."Speaking to the Independent, Mayor Emilio Navarro said: “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.”

Ex-detective and TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas, who helped expose Jimmy Savile, has revealed more details of Jay's last known movements.

Williams-Thomas has revealed that he has uncovered the name of one of the men and possesses a photograph of the other, describing both as being in their 30s to 40s.

"I have to date been able to speak to a large number of witnesses who were with him or came across him. There are a number of those that are probably not entirely truthful, and I intend to follow up with those people further," he told the Manchester Evening News. "There are two key people that we have not yet spoken to, and these are the two men that took Jay back to that holiday rental in the hills. Those two men have spoken to the police - but are now back in England."

A former detective has vowed to hunt down the two mystery men who were last seen with missing teenager Jay Slater, as he disclosed crucial new leads in the case.

Mark Williams-Thomas, a former detective who has turned his investigative skills to television, has travelled to Tenerife to launch his own independent investigation. Speaking with the press, he revealed new key details about the teenager's disappearance and his last known movements.

Mark disclosed that in the early hours of Monday (June 17), it is believed that the two men met Jay and friends at bars along the strip in Playa de las Americas.

The missing persons sleuth expressed his determination to locate the two British individuals who reportedly shared the Airbnb accommodation with Jay in the secluded village of Masca, urging them to come forward,

On the fateful morning of his disappearance from the club at 4am, Mark recounted that Jay appeared to be 'in control of himself'. He described how the young man casually sat on a wall outside the establishment before he was seen getting into a vehicle with two men, heading towards Masca.

Speaking to reporters, former detective turned TV sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas, who has flown out to Tenerife to conduct his own independent enquiries into what happened to the teenager, said he aims to track down the two British men that Jay is said to have stayed with in the Airbnb rental, in rural Masca, if they do not come forward.

He claimed he has since learned the name of one of the individuals, and has a picture of the other man. He said they were both described as being between 30 to 40 years old.

"I have to date been able to speak to a large number of witnesses who were with him or came across him There are a number of those that are probably not entirely truthful, and I intend to follow up with those people further," he said.

Coronation Street legend Vicky Entwistle says she is "confident" Spanish authorities are doing all they can to find British teenager Jay Slater, as the Lancashire lad's friends slam local forces over their "lack of urgency".

Vicky, who revealed her family connection to the missing teenager earlier this week, shared the update on social media amid Facebook groups are set up across the U.K with members of the public offering to fly over to help with the search.

Former Corrie star Vicky, best known for her role as Janice Battersby in the ITV soap, revealed earlier this week that Jay is her godmother's grandson and she has been closely involved in the efforts to locate him. Amid Jay's friend Lucy's concern, Vicky has tried to reassure those concerned.

Taking to Twitter in the early hours of Friday morning, the former soap star told her followers: "Although Jay has still not been found I am confident that the Spanish authorities are doing their upmost to find him. My Brother lives in Barcelona and assures me that the news coverage is prevalent on the Spanish mainland."

Vicky has been maintaining regular contact with the distressed family and has previously asked her fans to keep Jay in their prayers. In response to an offer of support earlier this week, Vicky shared details about the ongoing search efforts, writing: "I know all the authorities are pulling out all the stops to find him. Helicopters and drones etc." She also expressed hope to another follower, saying: "It seems everyone is looking so that gives us all some hope that he will be found."

The detective said: "I need to speak to those people because they are the last people, other than the owner of the holiday rental, that saw Jay.

"I believe they have crucial information that may enable us to find out what has happened to Jay.

"They were in the bars of the strip area, certainly for two days, they mixed with Jay and Jay's group of friends that were there.

"They spent a number of time in the bars there, they say that they drank Hennessy, which was their preferred drink.

"I know the nickname of one of those individuals. I have a photograph of that individual. He's about six foot tall, he's quite stocky, he had a distinctive bright orange wristband on and he's got quite short black hair. It's very difficult to tell, but I think he's probably aged around 30 to 40.

"One was a slightly bigger guy and was much more chatty than the other person."

Giving more details about the two men, Mr Williams-Thomas said: "They didn't go to the festival - they didn't have tickets.

"There will be you, as well as many other people, asking very pertinent questions into why were they here, what were they doing, why did they take Jay back to that holiday rental?"

Asked what he thought to Spanish police allowing the two men to leave the island, he said: "I think the problem is the starting point of the investigation for the Spanish authorities has been one of a missing person.

"If this was in the UK I would have started investigating as a critical incident and I'd have done everything so that you can secure the potential crime scene. Once you've lost evidence you've lost evidence."

Mr Williams-Thomas added: "One of the early thoughts of the family was that Jay was being held hostage. There have been no requests for financial remuneration in any aspect at all.

A firefighter involved in the search for missing 19 year old Jay Slater has described the circumstances of his disappearance as 'increasingly strange'.

Search teams have been combing through mountainous terrain in an attempt to locate the missing Brit.

Firefighter Riccardo, a member of the Brigada Forestal, spoke about the difficulties of searching the 'dangerous' area amid the ongoing efforts to find Jay.

He said: "It's very difficult to find people here, because of the ravines and the mountains.", reports Birmingham Live.

Private detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who is in Tenerife to help get answers for Jay's family and friends, said the men, who are believed to have travelled back to the UK are between 30 and 40 years old.

He has come to know the name of one of the men and has a photo of the other man. He added that he aims to track the men down if they do not come forward.

In a press conference earlier today, Mark Williams-Thomas said: "What we don't know is why, if they were partying here, they went to a holiday rental around an hour away in a really remote location."

He added: "They are crucial witnesses and [I could] ask questions that could get answers."

Spanish agencies have been reluctant to comment, despite the series of questions shrouding this case - fanned by online conspiracies that have reached a fever pitch in recent days.

Since Mr Slater's disappearance, the Spanish authorities are yet to hold a news conference.

Although teams at the scene refused to confirm whether the drones were being used in connection with a specific lead, the Civil Guard did provide a comment later that day, describing the work as "repeated hunts through ravines, roads, and trails of rugged terrain".

Missing teenager Jay Slater's mum has said she has barely slept since his disappearance nine days ago, as friends flew to Tenerife to join the frantic search.

Debbie Duncan, 55, told MailOnline: "It's been a week now and it's been awful. I've barely slept and I'm at my wits' end.

"The Spanish police are doing a good job and we are getting updated from the consulate so we just put our faith in them.

"I know people in the UK have come forward as well who were at the festival and they are giving details of what they know but I'm not being told about that."

Brand new footage released by police shows helicopters circling 'treacherous' mountains and sniffer dogs scouring the area where British teenager Jay Slater disappeared.

The search for missing Jay has now entered its second week, the Civil Guard, leading the investigation, revealed the search area being probed to find the missing teenager had been expanded, with specialist dog teams drafted in from Madrid.

Travel Writer Joe Crawley has revealed there is a "bizarre" update on the search for missing teenager Jay Slater, who disappeared last week.

Crawley has claimed that new information suggests he could have been spotted watching the Euros in a local bar.

A Brit who was found by search teams in Tenerife looking for missing teenager Jay Slater has insisted he didn't need rescuing.

David Larkin, who had been hiking in the area, said he didn't "want to appear ungrateful" and thanked the team for their concern, but said "I was fine".

The 51-year-old had been walking close to where Slater was last seen when rescuers spotted him and thought he needed assistance.

In a Facebook post, Spanish Police celebrated the "success" of assisting Larkin, claiming they "rushed to the rescue of a 51-year-old Scottish hiker".

But Larkin now says their exchange may have become confused due to the language barrier. "I can tell you now, I wasn't tired and I wasn't disoriented, and I didn't need rescuing," he told MailOnline.

The mum of missing teenager Jay Slater has issued a stark admission, as she missed a press conference by a British investigator helping with the search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife.

Jay disappeared while on holiday with friends in Tenerife on June 17 and his mother, Debbie Duncan, has described the past week and a half as a living nightmare.

A frantic search is still ongoing, with family and friends clinging onto hope that the apprentice bricklayer will be found unharmed.

In an interview with Mail Online, school finance advisor Debbie expressed her distress, confessing she's now at her 'wit's end'.

Debbie, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, told the outlet: "It's been a week now and it's been awful. I've barely slept and I'm at my wits' end. The Spanish police are doing a good job and we are getting updated from the consulate so we just put our faith in them.

"I know people in the UK have come forward as well who were at the festival and they are giving details of what they know but I'm not being told about that.

"Jay's very good friends from home have also been over and have put up posters. They are good kids and like me just want him home."

A British investigator has revealed the three big problems with the recent CCTV clue in the Jay Slater disappearance.

A man who suffered a split skull after being assaulted by a gang of eight men including Jay Slater has urged internet sleuths to "show some respect" and help find the missing teen.

Spanish authorities are delving into the past of  Jay Slater to determine if his criminal past is "relevant" to his sudden disappearance.

Local detectives are now examining whether Jay's criminal history might be connected to his disappearance, following revelations from the Spanish press that he was previously involved in a violent attack, according to Mail Online.

Slater was part of an eight-member gang that attacked Tom Hilton in 2021, resulting in severe injuries that left Hilton fighting for his life. The brutal assault saw Hilton's skull fractured and his shoulders and legs wounded after being beaten with a machete, golf clubs and an axe.

During the trial, Hilton described the gang as a "pack of wolves," recounting how he had to flee for his life through nearby woods before being caught and assaulted.

Mr Williams-Thomas said he is appealing to speak, not just to the two men who Jay went back to the Airbnb with, but also to 'people who know more'.

"There are people out here who know more," he adds. "There are people out here who have information, who have seen Jay, who had contact with Jay whilst he was here. If you were in those clubs on that evening when the early hours of that morning, please come forward.

"You may be reluctant to pass that information to the police. Please use the hotline we will circulate so that people can give us that information."

The private investigator said he is seen as an 'extension' of Lancanshire Police by Spanish authorities. He added the authorities have rejected any help from the English police force.

"Lancashire Police have been very supportive and the family provided a direct contact," he added. "And Lancashire Police have said that at any stage the Spanish authorities want the help, they will be here and they will help and they certainly have the experience to be able to do that. But the Spanish police, as presently have the time, have said we do not want your help.

"And of course, as a direct result of that, they would see me as an extension of that. They're not happy that I'm here. I would say put pride to one side. This is about finding Jay. We need as many people as possible to get involved."

Tucked away in the mountainous landscape of northwest Tenerife, sits the ‘lost’ village of Masca. Sitting precariously atop a mountain ridge the tiny village is home to just 90 residents and is surrounded by breathtaking cliffs.

One of missing Jay Slater's colleagues has opened up about the teen claiming that the picture painted of him online is wrong.

Sue also had thoughts on the amateur detectives who have either curtailed their Tenerife holiday or flown there specifically to assist with the search efforts.

She responded: "I would appeal for people not to do that. The issue is, the Guardia Civil and the mountain rescue team and the people that they have got involved are all trained in this area of work.

A former police chief who led the Raoul Moat manhunt in 2010 has shared her heart-wrenching theory on the disappearance of Jay Slater.

Speaking on the Sky News Daily podcast with Niall Paterson, ex-Northumbria chief constable Sue Sim gave her insights into the missing person case that has captivated the nation.

Sue expressed her concern for the young man's safety, stating: "They will be hoping that somebody has taken him in. As I've stressed before, this is a very very remote area of Tenerife, and not everybody has television, not everybody has radio."

Mark Williams-Thomas was asked what he thinks of the two men being allowed to the UK.

He responds: "I think the problem is that the starting point of this investigation for the Spanish authorities has been one of the missing persons.

"I don't know whether that's increased or whether it's decreased from a starting point. If this was in it was in the UK, I would have started investigating as a critical incident."

He adds that the men 'may' return out of freedom if asked, but that he hasn't spoken to them as of yet.

"I can talk about, you know, other witnesses who are instrumental," he continues. "There's lots of names been mentioned.

"Those people are cooperating fully and have said that at any stage the authorities will come back to the UK, to Spain, they will do. The Spanish authorities are doing what they're doing. I don't know what they're doing."

"There are two key people to date that I have not spoken to," Mark Williams-Thomas told members of the press. "These are the two men that took Jay back to that holiday rental in the hills."

The private investigator added that the two men have spoken to the police, but are now back in England.

In a press conference held this afternoon, Mark Williams-Thomas said Mr Slater's family were 'united' and 'still live with the hope' that he will return, and that he is 'not safe, but still alive'.

"Since I've been here, I've watched the family," he told members of the press. "I spent yesterday with them and today and the night before.

"They are very, very united family. They are very supportive and they want me to find out what happened to Jay."

The family has had to contend with a barrage of false allegations on social media, including claims they were 'partying on boats' and false reports that Jay's body had been found.

Rachel Harg, the mother of Jay's best friend and admin of the Find Jay Slater Facebook group, expressed her heartbreak over the cruel trolling.

Footage showing police searching the 'treacherous' mountains around the rural village of Masca has been released.

The search is now in its ninth day. On Tuesday (June 25), it was announced that rescue teams extended the 'immense' search area, previously said to be around 30km wide focusing on three main ravines.

The Civil Guard later released brand new, dramatic footage of the search efforts. It showed helicopters continuing to hover over the mountainous landscape, as sniffer dogs are also seen being walked through the area.

Police looking for missing Jay Slater across Tenerife have interviewed several locals claiming they might have seen the 19-year-old watching the football after his last confirmed sighting.

The mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Jose Navarro, claimed multiple reports had come in suggesting Jay Slater was seen watching the Euro 2024 matches after his friends last saw him in Tenerife.

Lucy Law is a friend of Jay. She was the last person to speak to him and has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his family as they continue their search.

Since setting up the GoFundMe page, Lucy has raised over £30,000 for Jay's family.

Lucy Law and Jay attended a rave at Papagayo nightclub on June 16 during the NRG music festival in Tenerife.

She recounted on the GoFundMe page that she had left the party earlier than everyone else and was woken up by a call from Jay at 8 am.

Lucy has described his disappearance as "weird and suspicious".

Jay Slater's dad has reportedly been translating missing posters into Spanish and posting them around Tenerife.

Broadcaster Nick Ferrari told This Morning it suggested to him that family believe the authorities on the island have not been doing enough.

He said: "The father’s now going round (Tenerife). He’s had posters made, translated into Spanish, and is putting them up. This, to me, would suggest that possibly they don’t think the authorities are doing enough."

Express.co.uk understands the planned press conference has been delayed again.

Spanish authorities are delving into Jay Slater's past to determine if anything is "relevant" to his sudden disappearance.

Detectives in Tenerife are thought to have been examining whether Jay's criminal history might be connected to his going missing.

The Spanish press reported he was previously involved in an alleged violent attack, according to Mail Online.

Ex-cop Steve Gaskin has said it is not looking good for Jay Slater.

He told the Mirror: "If we treat this like a murder from the outset, then if it turns out not to be then nothing's lost, we only have a few hours - people call it the golden hour, but really it's the golden 24 hours - to gather forensic evidence before it's too late.

"I'd want to know what he'd had from breakfast. Why has a 19-year-old bricklayer gone missing? What was he doing there? I would want to know everything about him. Who was the last person to see him? Check all their backgrounds too. I'd be speaking to police in the UK. Has he got a criminal record, here or in Spain? what do we know about him?"

The maps below show the area where the emergency services have focused the search for Jay Slater.

He went missing in a relatively remote part of Tenerife in the island's north west.

Manchester Evening News reports Mark Williams-Thomas has confirmed he will now speak to the press at 2.45pm.

Former Chief Constable of Northumbria Sue Sim has given her view on Jay Slater's disappearance.

She told Sky: "They will be hoping somebody has taken him in. As I've stressed before, this is a very, very remote area of Tenerife and not everybody has television, not everybody has radio."

Ms Sim added: "It would, however, be very, very surprising if he'd been kept away for a week so the chances are that this is now, unfortunately, a recovery operation.

"I must stress that the Guardia Civil have not said that."

We're still waiting for the planned press conference with Mark Williams-Thomas to start, but will bring you details as soon as we have them.

Lucy Law is a friend of Jay Slater's and is the last known person to speak to him.

She set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the missing man's family.

Ms Law has raised more than £30,000 since setting up the fundraiser.

A bar worker from the venue where Jay Slater had been partying before he disappeared has said partygoers can easily get lost.

Monica, who works at Paniclub in Playa de la Americas, told the Manchester Evening News: "It's very sad news. It's horrible, horrible.

"It's all we are talking about - the local people. It's everywhere in the media. It's so sad."

She added: "People could go out partying and get lost here in the night time. It can be dangerous."

Rachel Harg, reported to be the mother of Jay's best friend and admin of the Find Jay Slater Facebook group, has expressed heartbreak over cruel online trolling.

She shared a screenshot from a video falsely claiming she was partying on a boat instead of searching for the missing teen.

Ms Harg wrote in response: "This is another horrible lie about myself. Firstly, this isn't me. I took the video on my last holiday on a boat trip. The lady in this video I don't know. It was just me videoing the trip I was on with my family".

The post, first reported by the Manchester Evening News, continued: "Secondly, this was when I went to Turkey in April. Someone stole [the clip] and [is] saying [I] am in Tenerife partying.

"I am here looking for my son's best friend not partying if anyone did see this".

She concluded her post saying: "Absolutely heartbroken. It was a previous holiday".

An image has been released by police in Tenerife showing the cockpit of a helicopter flying over a mountain region where Jay Slater disappeared.

It comes after police denied they were scaling back the search operation.

The press conference hasn't started yet. Here is a timeline outlining what we know about Jay Slater's disappearance so far.

The apprentice bricklayer is believed to have disappeared while trying to make his way home from a rave during a holiday with friends.

Today's press conference comes amid reports of possible sightings.

The mayor of the town of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Jose Navarro, claimed multiple reports had come in suggesting Jay Slater was seen watching Euro 2024 matches.

Jay Slater's colleagues have defended the missing teen amid false claims made by online trolls.

PH Build Group, the company which employs Mr Slater as an apprentice bricklayer, revealed it had to remove a Facebook post about the missing teenager due to "negative comments and conspiracy theories".

The company has dismissed the inaccurate portrayal of him online.

In a Facebook post, PH Build Group said: "Jay has been with us since he left school and is liked by all. He's a valued member of our team and we stand by him."

"The picture being painted of him is just not true. The fact is he's a 19 year old lad missing in a foreign country. He needs to be back home where he belongs. Come on Jay we are all praying for you."

Ex-detective Mark Williams-Thomas is due to speak to reporters from Tenerife.

Mr Williams-Thomas has vowed to establish whether there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding Jay Slater's disappearance.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Express's live blog where we will be bringing you the latest updates in the search for missing teen Jay Slater.