British teenager Jay Slater has been missing for three weeks after he went missing during a walk from an Airbnb in the small village of Masca, some 11 hours away from his accommodation
There is fresh hope for the family of missing Brit teen Jay Slater amid a potential breakthrough as hunters and dogs are set to flood the search area in Tenerife.
The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished on June 17, sparking a widespread search. Slater went missing after he left walking from an Airbnb in Masca, a small village in the north of the Spanish island – some 11 hours away from his accommodation.
Search and rescue teams have so far failed to locate the missing teen, although there is now fresh hope he could be found. A woman from the village of Los Carrizales, just northwest of Masca, explained just one Guardia Civil police vehicle had been seen in the area on Saturday.
But she told Sky News partridge hunting season is starting soon, which means hunters and dogs will flood the area. “There will be different people in the area and a better chance of finding him,” she told said.
Partridge hunting season begins in early August, although some hunters have been seen in the area training before next month. On Sunday, Sky News reporter it saw two huntsmen with a pack of dogs walking in the area where local hikers searched alongside with Slater’s family members.
Speculation over the circumstances of Slater’s disappearance have persisted as no trace of him has been found in the past three weeks. It emerged last week that one of the last people to see the teen was found to be a convicted drug dealer.
TV detective Mark Williams-Thomas explained the investigation had opened up an established criminal network with links to drugs, violent crime and theft. He said: “As part of this investigation we have sought to speak with all of the people Jay had contact with whilst in Tenerife.
“The result of this digging has opened up an established criminal network with links to drugs, violent crime and theft. At this stage I cannot expand any further on what we now know. I’m unable to say if this network has anything to do with Jay’s disappearance but remain open-minded as we continue to investigate.”
Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan said her family will remain on the island until he is found. She shared an update on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than £51,680 in donations to help find her son.
We have been contacted by a wonderful group of locals who have volunteered to continue the search,” she said. “While they don’t wish to accept financial help for their search, we will be supporting them with supplies and are so grateful for their willingness to help.
“We also continue to be contacted by experienced groups offering to support our search. We are busy talking to them about what they can do to assist. But in order for us to employ their help, they need to have permission from the Spanish authorities.”
