Following the decision to call off the search for Jay Slater by the Spanish authorities, a former UK police officer has suggested that the teenager may not be missing in the traditional sense.
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On Sunday (June 30), the search for the 19-year-old British teenager - who was first reported missing in Tenerife on June 17 - was been officially called off by Tenerife's Guardia Civil.
The decision was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Civil Guard, who told press: "The search operation is over. Yesterday marked the final day of the search."
Jay Slater - from Lancashire - disappeared after attending the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas the night before his appearance.
His last known communication was a photo tagged on Snapchat at 07:30AM on June 17, showing him at an Airbnb in Masca, reportedly rented by two British men he met while on vacation.
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He also made two phone calls to his friends - Lucy Mae Law and Brad Hargreaves - shortly after 8:00AM that morning, informing them that he was lost, thirsty, and was attempting to walk back to their shared accommodation. This walk would have taken him around 10 hours.
The search efforts involved extensive resources, including helicopters, trained search dogs, and drones, deployed by Spanish authorities in the rugged terrain near the village of Masca, within the Rural de Teno national park.
This was the area where Jay's phone was last tracked before its battery died.
Despite these efforts, no significant clues were found regarding his whereabouts.
Rachel Hargreaves - a family friend currently on the island to support Jay's family - expressed determination to continue searching independently, as she the Telegraph: “Nothing has changed. We will continue to search for him."
Per BBC News, she has also mentioned plans to meet with Spanish authorities on Monday (July 1) to discuss further investigative steps.
It comes after a "massive search" was conducted on Saturday (July 29) focused on areas around Masca, previously explored but now expanded with the assistance of volunteers experienced in mountain rescue.
However, the turnout of just six volunteers highlighted challenges in organizing a comprehensive search without official coordination. The following day, authorities announced that the search has been called off.
Now, a retired Scotland Yard officer has shared his thoughts on what could have possibly happened to Jay - suggesting that he may not be missing.
Graham Wettone, who served the Metropolitan police for 30 years, has not only urged the Spanish Civil Guard to accept an "vital" offer of help from British police, but has also shared his own theories.
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"I've been following this case closely and discussing it with colleagues and it's certainly a very bizarre one, lots of things just don't add up," Wettone told the MailOnline.
He adds that the Civil Guard should "start again from the beginning and speak to all the witnesses again", including the two men Jay spent the night with prior to his disappearance.
"My gut feeling is that many of them may not be telling the truth," the ex-cop said
Spanish authorities announced on Saturday (July 29) that the two men are no longer relevant to their investigation.
"[Spanish police] seem to be focusing primarily on the fact that they were told he wandered off into the mountain, but we are now almost two weeks in, and nothing has been found up there," Wettone said.
The former officer suggests that investigators look into the day's leading up to Jay's disappearance - such as his banking activity - and look for "anything untoward in the hours before he went missing".
Wettone then asked: "Was there anything sinister and untoward there, that would have made him go off with these two men? Is there anything in his past that needs looking at more fully?"
He adds that he feels there has been too much focus on the mountain search - and hopes that investigators are looking "at other avenues and those include criminality."
Jay's best friend, Brad Hargreaves, recalled his last contact with Jay, describing a video call where Jay appeared disoriented and off the designated path in the Rural de Teno Park.
"He's gone off and rang me walking down the mountain," Brad shared in an interview with ITV's This Morning. "Next thing you know his phone dies and it's 10 days on now and nothing since."
During the interview, Brad revealed that he heard jay "slip" and knew that he was walking "off-road".
The community response has been overwhelming, with a GoFundMe campaign titled "Get Jay Slater Home" raising over £45,000. These funds are intended to support ongoing search efforts and aid local rescue teams involved in the operation.
Debbie Duncan, Jay Slater's mother, who traveled to Tenerife to support the search, expressed gratitude for the support received.
"I would like to thank everyone for your support, kind messages, and good wishes. It’s difficult to wrap our heads around what is happening right now, but we are not losing hope that we will find Jay and return home together," the worried mom wrote in an update on the page.
Speaking about her son, she told BBC in a previous interview. "He's just an all-round nice, bubbly guy with hundreds of friends who love being in his company."
While the formal search has been suspended, Spanish authorities confirmed the case remains open with several lines of investigation. The Slater family continues to hold hope for Jay's safe return, appealing for any information that could lead to finding him.
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