The search for Jay Dean Slater continues. This young British man disappeared a week ago in the northwest of Tenerife, in the Masca area, in Buenavista del Norte. Different units continue with the search device through the steep mountainous terrain where it is believed that disappeared on June 17.
Slater is only 19 years old. He is an apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, a county located in the northwest of England. He was in Tenerife with some friends with whom he had traveled to the island to attend a concert. According to the story of a friend, Lucy, the young He met two people with whom he apparently went to the Masca areaIt was after a party at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Américas.
On Monday, Lucy received a call from her friend to tell her that she was thirsty, that she had cut her leg on a cactus, that had been lost and had only 1% battery left on the mobile phone. Jay’s trail disappeared in the Teno rural park, which occupies levels from sea level to the peaks, which exceed 1,300 meters in altitude.
The young man’s disappearance was reported that same Monday and since then An operative searches for him without success. A helicopter and drones are taking part in the search, as well as teams specialised in mountain rescue. In the last few hours, dogs specialised in searching for people in large areas of land and canine guides, all of them from the Canine Service of the Civil Guard, have joined the Masca ravine team.
Healthy, safe and watching the Euro Cup?
But could Slater be healthy, safe and far from the area where he is wanted? According to the mayor of Santiago del Teide, Emilio José Navarro, investigators have spoken with several people who They claim to have seen the young man watching Euro Cup football matches. However, the Spanish police have not yet confirmed this, according to the Daily Mail.
“We know that the police are watching security camera footage. They have requested those from the city council and are also working with the company that is in charge of those cameras,” explained the councilor, according to The Independent.
CCTV cameras that allegedly captured Jay around 10 hours after he was last seen on the mountain are also being examined. Several British media outlets have picked up on the image. It is seen a figure walking next to a church around six in the afternoon last Mondayabout six kilometers from Masca where the young man’s mobile signal was lost.
Many tourists would have seen him
Walk from the mountain to the city and not be seen by anyone? Reuters He quotes Tom Beckett, a British man familiar with the area, who believes Slater may not have made it to town. “If he had been on the road, many tourists would have seen him. It’s a very narrow road, so they would not have overlooked him, they would have seen him“, has declared.
Another photograph circulated over the weekend with which It was claimed that a body had been found in Los Cristianosthe coastal town where Jay had stayed with some friends. According to The Guardianthat image seemed to have actually been taken in Iceland.
His father doesn’t quite understand what could have happened. “Has no sense. No one would deviate from that path. Why would it have gone uphill? It is dangerous; It is a huge mountain. It’s not just a hill. I only realized when I went up myself. “People who go out to a party don’t come here,” he declared to the Manchester Evening News.
Slater’s violent past
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The British media have searched the young man’s past and some violent episodes have appeared. When he was 16, Slater was tried for a fight in which a minor ended up with cuts and an open head. It was in Rishton, England. Jay was part of a group that was armed with knives, an ax and a golf club, and that attacked a 17-year-old boy. At the trial everyone showed an “arrogant and mocking” attitude. All of them, including Slater, were sentenced to six months of community service and that because the lawyer convinced the judge that they could still be rehabilitated.
The danger of networks and false detectives
Slater’s family has moved to the island to closely follow the search efforts and to help in any way they can. Several friends have also traveled to Tenerife. Both have stated that The interest that the case has aroused on the Internet is increasing their anguish. They fear that the “noise” on the Internet surrounding the case could even hamper the investigation.
This newspaper tells that in the United Kingdom a group of “detectives” are carrying out their own investigationstrawling through Google maps of the area where she disappeared in the Rural de Teno national park. The bad thing is that they are publishing unfounded conspiracy theories and, in some cases, even deliberately cruel hoaxes about her disappearance. A Facebook group created by a family friend to share information and ask the public for help already has more than half a million members.
There is a second Facebook group where absurd theories are being posted such as “Does anyone else think that maybe the shark that was spotted in Gran Canaria has something to do with it?” Others suggest that the young man has been kidnapped by Moroccan drug gangs or that his disappearance has been faked to swindle money in donations from the public.
Spread baseless speculation
This is not the first time that the investigation into a missing person has captured the attention of British social media. Last year, Nicola Bulley, a 45-year-old woman, was missing for 23 days before his body was found. He had fallen into a river and drowned.
The influencers from YouTube and TikTok came to the small town where she was last seen, forcing the police to put in place a dispersal order. The woman’s family criticized the “totally inaccurate speculation spread across numerous platforms.”
