Disappearance of Jay Slater

On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on the island of Tenerife, Spain, after attempting to walk ten hours back to his accommodation as a result of missing a bus. Slater had attended a music festival in south Tenerife with two friends the day before his disappearance.

As of 30 June 2024, the search for Slater was discontinued by the Tenerife police, although the investigation remains open.

Background

Slater was an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, a town in Lancashire, England. Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, flew to Tenerife the day after his disappearance.

Disappearance

Slater attended the three-day NRG Music Festival at Papagayo Beach Club in south Tenerife on the afternoon of 16 June 2024. After the festival, Slater went to the mountain village of Masca with two men he met at the festival.

On 17 June, at around 08:00 CET, Ofelia Medina Hernandez – the last known person to meet with Slater – told him that his bus was due at 10:00. Hernandez recalled driving past Slater as he "walked fast" in the "wrong direction". Hernandez owned the cafe/villa Casa Abuela Tina en Masca.

Fifty minutes later, at 08:50, Slater called his friend Lucy Mae Law to tell her that he was "lost", as he attempted to walk from Masca to where he was staying in Los Cristianos on the south coast of Tenerife. Slater said that his phone had 1% battery and that he needed water. His last known location is the Rural de Teno National Park. He also made a video call to his friend Brad Hargreaves who thought he slipped on gravel. At 09:04, Slater was reported missing.

Responses

On 21 June, Lancashire Constabulary published a statement regarding Slater's disappearance. It said they have "specialist officers who are continuing to support Jay's family", and have offered support to the Guardia Civil who rejected it, however, the offer remains open and they will be in contact should their position change.

On 22 June, the NRG (New Rave Generation) Music Festival which Slater attended before his disappearance released a statement.

On 25 June, police officers looking for Slater stumbled across a Scottish hiker in a ravine. The 51-year-old was reported missing on 21 June after failing to return from a hike near where Slater was last seen. Officers stated that he would not have managed to get out of the ravine "by his own means" due to the "difficulty and lack of communication" in the area, but the hiker stated that he was experienced and did not need rescuing.

Local Guardia Civil police and rescuers also searched a 2,000-foot-deep ravine in the Teno Nature Reserve, as well as Masca and surrounding areas in the hunt for Slater. As of 30 June 2024, the search for Slater was discontinued by the Guardia Civil.

Slater's disappearance led to some press reporting of the disappearance of Kevin Ainley twenty years previously. Ainley was from Lancashire, living in Yorkshire and had relocated to south Tenerife a few months before his disappearance in June 2004 which was not widely reported at the time. Also Steven Cook who went missing in Crete but was found deceased with an inquest recording an open verdict.

Social media

Slater's friend Lucy started a GoFundMe page to support his friends and family who had travelled to Tenerife while the search continued, which has raised over £43,500 as of 30 June. Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, said that she did not want any fundraising pages to be made and has urged people not to donate to any.

Following the start of the fundraiser, GoFundMe published a statement, with a spokesperson saying "all campaigns are under review and no money will be transferred unless we can verify it goes straight to his family". This came after widespread online speculation about the intention of how the money would be used. Facebook group administrator Rachel Louise Harg said the funds raised would go to Slater's friends and family staying in Tenerife.

As with the death of Nicola Bulley, a number of conspiracy theories were posted by online influencers regarding Slater's disappearance. The social media response also included people sharing details of a serious attack on a 17-year-old in 2021 by a gang of eight people including Slater, using machetes, an axe and a golf club, in which they split the victim's skull. Slater had been sentenced in August 2023 to an 18-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work. However, the victim of that attack responded on social media, telling people to "give it a rest" and "help find him". Trolling has also taken place and been criticised.

References