Jay Slater's best friend has revealed some fresh new details from the final video call with the missing teen.
Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, traveled to Tenerife earlier this month to enjoy the three-day NRG festival. Following a rave that ended in the early hours of June 17, Jay headed to Masca with two British men he met that night. He shared a final Snapchat from their Airbnb at 7:30AM, showing a hand holding a cigarette.
Attempting to return to his holiday accommodation—an 11-hour walk away—Jay made a desperate call to Lucy at around 8:50AM, saying he was lost in the "middle of nowhere" with just one percent battery on his phone. He also mentioned cutting his leg on a cactus and needing water.
Now, Jay’s best friend, Brad, has revealed he could hear the missing teen slipping on rocks during their final video call. The 19-year-old, who was on vacation in Tenerife with Brad and their friend Lucy Mae, called Brad after getting lost last Monday morning.
.jpeg_hOtnyi?tr=w-1024,cr-0.0.1024.983&config=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)
It's unclear if Jay's call to Brad was separate from the one made to Lucy. Brad shared their last conversation on ITV's This Morning with Isla Traquair, saying Jay initially wasn't worried about walking back.
Brad could hear Jay's feet sliding on rocks, indicating he had gone off the road. "That's how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you can... you know what I mean, stones," Brad explained.
At that point, Brad wasn't concerned as Jay reassured him he was fine, but Brad did suggest Jay turn on his location. "We were both, like, laughing about it. He said: 'look where I am,'" Brad added. Jay then cut off, promising to call back, but never did.
Brad and his mother, Rachel Hargreaves, have vowed to stay in Tenerife for "as long as it takes" to support Jay's distraught family. Meanwhile, police are preparing a large-scale search for Jay, scheduled to begin tomorrow at 9AM. in Masca.
Authorities have called for volunteers, specifically those experienced with rocky terrain and professional volunteers like firefighters.
Despite rejecting help from British police, local authorities insist they have the necessary resources. In a statement, they said (via The Sun): "The Guardia Civil prepares and coordinates a large search to find the young British man missing in the village of Masca. The collaboration of all those Volunteer Associations is requested: Civil Protection, Firefighters, etc., and even private volunteers who are experts in the abrupt search terrain. The massive search will be carried out on Saturday, June 29th from 9AM."
Jay's mother, Debbie Duncan, has criticized the decision to refuse assistance from Lancashire Police. She expressed frustration over the language barrier and lack of updates, saying: "I know the Spanish police mean well, but the problem we are having is the language barrier, we just don't seem to be getting told. I'm sure they are doing their best.
“They told me they had used dogs and drones and then they said Lancashire police had offered their resources but they turned it down, but I think that would have really helped. I would feel happier if our people were over helping.
“It's just so difficult not knowing where he is, the area and the terrain is rough, but the police were saying that now there are too many people up there and it could interfere with their investigation."
Specialist sniffer dog teams were brought in on Tuesday as rescue crews focused much of their search on a 2,000ft ravine in the desolate Rural de Teno park. The focus has now shifted to caves near Los Carrizales, a small hamlet about an hour and a half on foot from the Airbnb where Jay was last seen.
Despite no signs of Jay, authorities have vowed to continue the search. Police sources, however, have warned that it is "very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains."
