The ravine that was central to the search for Jay Slater shows "eerie signs of life", according to an investigating journalist
Jay, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, has been missing since June 17. He disappeared the morning after attending a rave with friends on the Spanish island of Tenerife.
Instead of returning to his accommodation, Jay decided to stay out with two British men he had met a few days earlier while vacationing on the island.
The following morning, Jay called his friends - Lucy Mae Law and Brad Hargreaves - informing them that he was lost, thirsty, and attempting to walk back to their holiday apartment - a journey estimated to take around 10 hours.
His phone died shortly after, with its last tracked location near the village of Masca in the mountainous Rural de Teno Park area - which subsequently became the focal point of the search efforts by rescue teams.
(1).jpeg_7eofTs?tr=w-1024,cr-0.0.1024.1475&config=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)
Despite the official search ending, Jay's family and friends, aided by a former British detective, continue their efforts.
Reporters have described the "unforgiving" landscape.
Fred Kelly of MailOnline is one of the many journalists who have traveled to the island in order to better understand Jay's disappearance and attempt to help find the teenager.
Writing about what he has found, Kelly said: "Sharp-needled cacti grow higher than a man's head and there's no sound other than the noise of geckos scuttling in the undergrowth and the distant howl of the wind above the ravine."
Kelly also reported chilling remnants of human presence: "In a sinister twist, the Mail found eerie signs of life in one of two ruined homesteads in the ravine: shoelaces tied with twigs to form haunting symbols like something out of a horror film, empty water bottles, and - most strange of all - a set of clean women's clothes."
Additionally, Kelly revealed that Christopher Pennington - a former British military serviceman - is now leading a search for the missing teen. The Express reports that Pennington has found a pair of black sunglasses with one lens missing.
"This area has not been searched properly," Pennington told the MailOnline. "You can tell, the authorities have stuck to the paths because they've assumed Jay did too, but that's not how you conduct a thorough search."
Jay's father, Warren, has previously expressed his concerns about the family searching the dangerous ravine themselves, saying: "These are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous. It's tough, it's hard."
Following the Civil Guard's decision to cease their search, the family has persisted in their efforts.
Warren commented: "We've been all the way down. We've walked as far as you can until it's too dangerous."
(1).jpeg_jVYF1D?tr=w-1024,cr-0.0.1024.1188&config=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)
Despite the official search coming to an end, Juan García, an army reservist and private investigator, believes it is too early to give up hope.
He believes Jay could still be alive and has his own theory on how he may have managed to survive.
García told The Times: "[Jay] could be alive somewhere — someone can drink from rainwater and eat plants. The family should not give up hope."
García, 53, mentioned he had "spoken directly to the family and offered my advice."
