Jay Slater, 19, was reported missing a week ago in the rural village of Masca, after he stayed in the area with people he had met after attending the NRG music festival
Jay Slater’s dad gives update on search and rescue on missing son
The disappearance of 19-year-old Jay Slater, who vanished in Tenerife after a night of partying, has left bar staff at the resort where he was last seen devastated. The Lancashire lad was reported missing on June 17, following his attendance at the NRG music festival’s ‘first-ever Tenerife Weekender Festival’ at the Papagayo beach club in Playa de la Americas.
The festival promised a ‘weekend of electrifying music, stunning visuals, and innovative productions’, which ended with a closing party held on June 16. However, the festivities took a dark turn when Jay was reported missing the next morning.
It is believed that he had stayed at an Airbnb rental in Rural de Teno Park, some 30km away from the festival venue, before leaving alone on foot. When reporter James Holt visited the Papagayo club on June 24, staff member Florin, who did not recall seeing Jay or his companions on the night of the closing party, expressed his concern. He admitted to only learning about Jay’s disappearance through news reports.
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As the search for Jay enters its second week, with efforts from the Civil Guard, Civil Defence, mountain rescue teams and fire crews, a wave of worry has swept across both tourists and locals on the Spanish island.
Monica, a worker at Paniclub in Playa de la Americas resort near the vibrant nightlife strip, has voiced her distraught sentiments about Jay’s disappearance. In conversation with The Manchester Evening News, she said: “Everybody here is living nice and happy, so it’s very sad news. It’s horrible, horrible.
“Yesterday I was off and we were speaking the whole day about him. It’s all we are talking about, the local people. It’s everywhere in the media, it’s so sad.”
Notably, Monica mentioned that tourists seeking enjoyment often indulge in drinks to an extreme limit and the area suffers from drug-related issues, specifically cannabis and cocaine. During their visit, reporters were offered these drugs multiple times by individuals standing on street corners carrying business cards.
She said: “Everybody here is looking for fun and drinks. People could go out partying and get lost here, in the nighttime it can be dangerous.”
Maria, an employee at a neighbouring hotel expressed her heartache over the situation: “It’s breaking my heart. Especially for myself, because I have a 19-year-old son. I hope he is okay.”
According to reports, Jay had journeyed to a secluded holiday rental, roughly half a mile north of Masca, in the mountainous Rural de Teno Park after a night of revelry on Sunday, June 16.
The location is approximately 30km away from the resort where he had spent the previous evening. He reportedly left the cottage on the morning of June 17 and wandered off alone.
Since then, there has been no sign or word from him, with extensive search operations now entering their second week.
