A detective who was involved in searching for Nicola Bulley last year has joined the search for Jay Slater in Tenerife.
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The search for Jay is into the second week after the 19-year-old went missing in Tenerife last Monday (June 17)
His last communication was with his friend Lucy Mae Law and he informed her that he was starting a 10-hour walk back to their accommodation.
As Jay's family and friends wait for answers, expert search and rescue teams have been scouring the island in the hopes of finding the British teenager.
Mark Williams-Thomas, a seasoned investigator known for his work on high-profile cases such as the disappearance of Nicola Bulley is now collaborating closely with Jay's family in Tenerife.
His goal is to construct a detailed timeline of Jay's last movements.
Yesterday, Williams-Thomas was seen conducting inquiries at the holiday rental where Jay, an apprentice bricklayer, was last spotted.
When approached outside the property, he told the Mirror: "I don't want to talk in detail at the moment, but I've spent time with the family and my focus now is to build a clear timeline of the last 24 hours before Jay disappeared."
"My focus is very much to ensure that I'm here to support the family and work with the Spanish authorities to get answers. I would quickly be able to establish whether or not there are suspicious circumstances - but I'd need total access to everything and to speak to all the witnesses involved," he added.
Williams-Thomas previously stated his confidence in resolving Jay's disappearance within three days, provided he has full cooperation from the family and access to all necessary information.
"Having feet on the ground and looking at the scenario and circumstances, I know I will get to the bottom of this in three days. If the family work with me, I will get the answers. It is crucial for the family. It is difficult for them, dealing with foreign police who handle it differently," he said.
Spanish authorities are expected to hold a press conference later today, but it is currently delayed at the time of writing.
Following delays, Williams-Thomas spoke to the press about his brief time on the Canary Islands as he works to assist Jay's family in the search for their son.
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"The family are very grateful for you to be heard" he told members of the press on Wednesday afternoon.
"They appreciate the press are a really important aspect of the story but they are reluctant to speak because they really want to work with Spanish police, and Spanish authorities and they have not sanctioned this. We have to respect that.
"Since I have been here and worked with the family, I have spent yesterday with them and the night before and they are very, very united family and they are very supportive and their one mission of course is to find out what happened to Jay.
"They still live with the hope that Jay will return and that he is not safe, but still alive. They themselves have been out searching and have put out pictures and posters and of course, they are responding to as many enquiries as they possibly can," Williams-Thomas added, per the Independent.
Williams Thomas has also issued a plea for the two British men who were last with Jay to come forward.
"The family have provided me with an in-depth insight into what has happened in the hours leading up to his disappearance," Williams-Thomas said.
"I have, to date, not been able to speak to a large group of witnesses. But there are two key people to date that I have not spoken to.
"These are the two men that took Jay back to the holiday rental in the hills. Those two men have spoken to the police and they are now back in the UK."
Asked how the family have been coping, he responded: “They are utterly broken, having done this many times and having been a family liaison officer, they are an incredibly united family.
“Not just in terms of the family but also the friends that are here to support. They are all very focused in terms of finding Jay. The problem is they are now without information, a lot of information was coming in initially but they are now without much information.”
The search effort is currently focused on Masca, a mountainous area on the western tip of the island.
Spanish authorities recently released videos of the search efforts, writing: "We continue with the search for the young British man who disappeared in Tenerife.
“Different civil guard units from the area participate, joined by agents with their dogs specialized in searching for people from #Madrid.”
Williams-Thomas posts updates on his X profile, with his most recent one reading: "Been another very long day - just finishing for today. The last 24 hours has enabled me to spend time with Jay Slater’s family & friends and track down and speak in detail to crucial witnesses.
"I still have a number of crucial people to speak to and over the next few days will be making appeals for information to help support the Spanish police investigation & further my investigation."