The family of missing 19 year old Jay Slater have hit out at some of the “vile” online trolls and conspiracy theories as the search for the teenager moves into a new phase
Jay Slater: Parents of missing teen leave police station in Tenerife
The distraught family of 19-year-old Jay Slater has slammed the “vile” comments and unfounded theories spreading like wildfire across social media and TikTok, as detectives step up their efforts to solve the mystery of his disappearance in Tenerife.
The young apprentice bricklayer, hailing from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was enjoying a getaway with mates about three weeks ago, which included a music festival in Tenerife. Tragically, just four days into their holiday on June 17, Jay seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Despite an extensive 13-day search operation, Spanish officials ceased the active search near Masca’s rugged terrain on Sunday, though they’ve vowed to keep probing into what happened to Jay.
On Tuesday evening, Jay’s mother addressed the public, updating them on the ongoing investigation and calling for the press and public to allow Spanish law enforcement to conduct their work without interference.
READ MORE: Tragic development in Jay Slater case 15 days on since Brit teenager reported missing in Tenerife
Amidst their anguish, the family is grappling with the added pain of malicious online gossip about Jay’s fate.
Their heartbreak has been made worse by one key detail – some of the many cruel conspiracy theories about Jay’s disappearance circulating online. They pleaded: “We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.”
Now, the family’s main concern is to uncover the reason behind Jay’s baffling disappearance from an area so distant from where he was staying.
Jay Slater’s family statement in full:
“My son, Jay Dean Slater, came to the holiday island of Tenerife on the 13th of June with his friend to attend a music festival. On the 17th of June after not returning to his apartment he was reported as a missing person. Jay is a normal guy who is in his 3rd year of an apprenticeship, and he is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends.”
“We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.”
“We do not have any information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced. They conducted a land search for 12 days which involved every resource they had available.”
“Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation.”
“We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of enquiries.”
“We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.”
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.”
“We also embrace the love and support we have received from across the globe. It has not gone unnoticed, especially his home town in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this present time.”
