Spanish authorities issues statement as search for Jay Slater enters eighth day

A week after UK teenager Jay Slater was reported missing, Spanish authorities have spoken out, saying, "Nothing has been ruled out".

Credit: Facebook

Last Monday (June 17), 18-year-old Lucy Mae Law reported 19-year-old Jay missing during their vacation in Tenerife.

The friends had been visiting the Canary island as part of the NRG music festival.

The evening before his disappearance, Jay had been partying with Lucy Mae when he opted to stay out with two fellow British men, rather than accompany her back to their shared accommodation.

READ MORE: 7 Days Missing - Everything We Know About Jay Slater's Disappearance

On the morning of June 17, Jay - from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire - called Lucy Mae to say that he was lost, thirsty, and was going to attempt to walk back to their apartment - a journey that would have taken around 10 hours.

Shortly after 9:00AM, Lucy Mae reported Jay missing to Spanish authorities.

Prior to his phone dying, Jay's last tracked location was in the Rural de Teno Park, near the village of Masca, a popular hiking area - which has been the key area rescue teams have focused on over the last 7 days.

Jay Slater's final Snapchat - shared hours before his disappearance. Credit: Snapchat

With the search on its eighth day, a spokesperson for the Spanish Civil Guard has said, per LBC: "The same Civil Guard units that have been searching for him since last Monday, including the mountain rescue experts and officers with sniffer dogs, are out on the ground, along with a police helicopter in the air.

“Firefighters and Civil Protection workers with drones are also involved. No hypothesis is being ruled out.”

The spokesperson added: “Some of the areas that are being searched have been looked at before."

Additionally, authorities have briefly commented on a possible sighting of Jay from around 6:00PM last Monday.

Jay's loved ones reported that an image surfaced showing a male walking past a church in Santiago del Teide on the evening of June 17, roughly ten hours after Jay was last heard from. They believe the blurry image could resemble Jay.

Commenting on the image, the Civil Guard said: "Nothing has been ruled out and nothing has been ruled."

The Civil Guard's comments come just days after friend Lucy Mae slammed their efforts.

Speaking to The Independent, Lucy Mae said: "The police are not doing everything they can.

“It’s been longer than 72 hours now and there isn’t enough going on. They are still asking the same questions that should have been logged at 10:00AM on Monday when I first reported this."

"We need British police here," Lucy Mae added in an interview with the Mirror. "I just want to find my mate. He’s been missing three days. It’s not looking good now. We feel as though it’s down to us to find him and that we’re doing more than the police.

"The police here don’t speak English and don’t even have a translator after three days. I feel like they’re fobbing me off. They’re still asking me the same questions as when I first reported Jay missing."

Lancashire Police in the UK have confirmed that they reached out to the Civil Guard to assist with search efforts, but they were denied - with the Spanish authorities claiming to have plenty of resources.

19-year-old Jay Slater went missing after a night out on the island. Credit: Handout

The Mirror has since reported that a "well-placed source" for the Civil Guard has responded to criticism by saying: "The Civil Guard is not going to reply to criticism or praise it receives here.

"Officers are just doing their job, they’re focused on the search and they’re going to continue with the work they’re doing without anyone taking time out to respond to the evaluations other people are making.

"The force is aware of some of the comments that are already out there but are prioritizing what needs to be done which is to search for Jay. Just imagine how much chatter there'd be if we did publicly respond."

Featured image credit: Europa Press News / Getty