Mum of missing Jay Slater says 'I can't give up on him'

The mother of a British teenager who went missing after a night out in Tenerife says she will not “give up on him”.

Jay Slater, 19, was last heard from on Monday morning after attending a music festival with two friends on the Spanish island.

He disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus. The journey would have taken about 11 hours on foot.

Asked how the family was coping with the situation, Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan said: “We’re not. I’m not coping very well at all.

“I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful.”

“I can’t give up on him, I just can’t.”

Spanish authorities on the Canary Island have been hunting for the teenager from Lancashire for six days.

Lancashire Constabulary said it had made “an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources”, which was rejected by Spanish authorities.

Questioned on whether Spanish police should have accepted help from the UK force, Ms Duncan said: “I believe they said they’ve got enough resources and they don’t need the help from English police.

“I don’t know if they find it an insult – I really don’t know. I really don’t know.

“They say they’ve got enough resources to get on with the investigation… I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Jay Slater, 19, has gone missing on the Canary Island of Tenerife. / Credit:

Speaking about what message she would have for her son, Ms Duncan added: “We just need you home – we just need him home.”

Family friend Rachel Hargreaves said that those close to Mr Slater were staying in Tenerife “until we’ve got an outcome”.

She said: “We’ve got to live in hope haven’t we – you can’t give up on anything can you really.

“We’re here and we’re staying until we’ve got an outcome.”

Addressing the support the family had received from well-wishers, she said: “We’re happy for anyone who wants to help or anyone with information or anything like that – like I say we’re still living in hope that we’re going to get a positive outcome.

“We just feel like we’ll leave it to the professionals now, and that’s the best thing to do.”

The search parties for Mr Slater seemed noticeably smaller on Saturday compared to other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in Masca and the surrounding areas.

Firefighters appeared to conduct the majority of the latest searches, as rescue teams, alongside sniffer dogs, set off on a steep gravel track at Rural de Teno Park in the morning.

A GoFundMe page for Mr Slater’s family has raised more than £27,500, and will go towards family and friends staying in Tenerife while the hunt continues.