Family of Jay Slater to use donated money for new search team from the Netherlands
The mother of missing teenager Jay Slater has said money raised to support their family will be used to bring in an expert Dutch search and rescue team.
Debbie Duncan broke the news on a GoFundMe page, which was setup just a few days after Jay, who's 19 and from Lancashire, went missing in a mountainous region of Tenerife.
The GoFundMe page set up by Jay's friend Lucy Law is now up to nearly £50,000.
Lucy was the last person to speak to Jay, as he phoned her at about 8:30am on Monday 17 June.
He told her he had "missed a bus, had one per cent of battery left on his phone and was stuck in the middle of nowhere”.
Missing in Tenerife - The Search for Jay Slater
In the statement, Debbie Duncan said: "Almost 4 weeks on and we are still no further in finding our beautiful boy. He was only 4 days into his holiday and his disappearance still remains a mystery.
"We are still here in Tenerife searching daily with the help of volunteers and local hiking groups. As you all know the Guardia Civil gave up the land search after 12 days.
"We have been actively working with search and rescue teams and we can now confirm that we have a team of experts flying in over the weekend from the Netherlands, who will carry on the search with their specialist dogs.
"We are only able to fund this with the generosity of all those who donated. The team are the Signi Zoekhondon and this has taken lots of planning to get them over so thank you so much for your kindness."
Tenerife’s Guardia Civil called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
The search in the village of Masca, near his last-known location, took in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.
Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca and the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.
On 17 June 2024 one young holiday maker on his first trip without his family vanished on Tenerife without a trace. But just what happened?
ITV Granada Reports' Andy Bonner takes a look at the disappearance of Jay Slater which has intrigued millions across the world.