Jay Slater’s dad has key question after visiting his son’s last known location in Tenerife

Jay Slater's father has confessed to being "baffled" by his son's mysterious disappearance, questioning: "Why did two grown men take a young boy to a valley to a bed and breakfast?" A distraught Warren, aged 58, revealed his feelings after a fruitless two-hour search through the gorge where Jay's mobile was last active 16 days ago. He expressed his disbelief, stating: "You just don't disappear.

It's just ridiculous that somebody can just disappear. He's a young boy, he's fit. He's fitter than us all put together.

He's played football all his life, he's fit as a flea. You just don't disappear. I don't know... it's just a mystery... it's baffling."

Warren, visibly shaken, spoke shortly after reports surfaced claiming Jay felt frightened when departing the secluded holiday let in Masca, which is situated 20 miles from his lodging, and allegedly confided in friends that he was unable to go back there. The Spanish authorities have indicated that the two British men, who reportedly had interactions with the police prior to leaving Tenerife, are not connected to the case of the missing teenager, reports the Mirror[1]. Warren continued, pressing for answers: "My only question is, and this is where you start the investigation from, why did two grown men take a young boy to a valley to a bed and breakfast?

I can't understand that. Why? Why?

You need to ask them why and then start from there." He further commented on the challenges faced during the investigation, saying: "Spanish police must know. It is frustrating.

It's the language barrier and you can't get mad at Spanish police because they don't like it." "I've moved beyond the sadness and now I'm angry, if that makes any sense. I'm angry that nothing's happened.

If I left you here and then you just disappeared, do you not think police would be on my case?" Accompanied by his elder son Zak, 24, and one of Jay's uncles, Warren gazed at the vast gorge below him and said: "We've been all the way down. We've walked as far as you can until it's too dangerous.

All I'm doing is a Colombo bit myself. I mean he might be on here, you never know, but as a dad I don't want him to be. Warren had previously expressed his concerns about the family searching in the ravine themselves due to "how dangerous it is".

However, with the official search now concluded, he and his family feel they have no option but to navigate through the perilous terrain themselves. He sustained cuts to both his arms and legs from walking through the hazardous terrain yesterday. He stated: "This is where his phone last pinged.

This was the valley and I've come to the point of no return. We followed the path all the way down the valley. If I had mountain boots on and some ropes I would go for it, but I can't do it in Adidas sandals.

Nonetheless, pointing to a large mountain peak in the distance, he added: "If someone told me 'he's up that hill and you'll find him', I'd climb that f****** hill and find him. "Asked about the family's intentions to remain in Tenerife until Jay is located, he conceded: "I know his mum wants to, maybe his brother wants to, but you can't stay forever. "His mum is saying 'he's not been found, I'm not leaving this island'. But it's hard, it's so f*****g hard." Regarding the police investigation, Warren expressed: "The police here are doing their own investigations.

They're not really telling us anything, they're not telling you lot anything, we're in the dark. They know best. Do you think they should be still searching?

""If it was in England I'd be making a stink, but we're in a foreign country and we've just got to leave it to people who know best. "When questioned if he believes Jay might have headed towards the sea, visible from where they were, he simply replied: "Maybe". He elaborated: "I've done this trail now twice. Every step I've took there's been an opening.

If you land on one of those cactus' you're not moving. Surely somebody's gonna find you after two weeks." Discussing the terrain below, he remarked: "It's hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff.

You can't explain this to somebody unless they see it. You can take a photograph or film it, but until you're here.." Warren's comments come following statements from a former British police detective hired by the family, who suggested Jay had been frightened when he departed from the holiday home where he was last seen.

Mark Williams-Thomas, a renowned investigator known for delving into high-profile missing persons cases, has made a startling revelation about the young apprentice bricklayer on Wednesday morning, providing an update on his last confirmed whereabouts. The television detective also disclosed that Jay, aged 19, had expressed he was unable to return to the house, which was under scrutiny by two Spanish police officers who were spotted inspecting the premises in forensic-style blue shoe covers on Tuesday morning. Jay had ventured to the location with two older British individuals prior to his disappearance and was last observed departing the white-washed property, known as Casa Abuela Tina, around 8am on June 17.

Williams-Thomas, aged 54, remarked: "We have received information that would suggest Jay left the rental property feeling scared and that he would not return to the rental, even though that would have been the most sensible course of action, and also where he could have charged his phone and got water." He continued: "He was told to go back to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he had already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off the road and walking on a track, where there were loose stones."

Further illuminating the state of mind of Jay just before his disappearance, Williams-Thomas also claimed that during the car ride to the property with the men, Jay uploaded a video on social media in which he bragged about stealing a Rolex watch[2]. In a recent video statement shared on social media, Mr Williams-Thomas asserted: "On route Jay posted a Snapchat saying that they had taken a GBP12,000 Rolex from a person. We have been unable to validate this in terms of a reported theft."

"However, friends of Jay he would not make this up and the watch was the subject of a later conversation between them." The former police detective, who gained recognition as the lead investigator on the ITV[3] Exposure documentary 'The Other Side of Jimmy Savile', has now joined the search for missing Jay from Oswaldtwistle, Lancs. He offered his expertise to Jay's mother, Debbie Duncan, 55, without charge, and she has accepted his assistance.

Mr Williams-Thomas arrived on the island on June 24 and was spotted conducting investigations at both the holiday rental and Papagayo nightclub, where Jay was last seen. He has been granted access to speak with Jay's family and friends, including Brad Hargreaves, 19, and Lucy Mae Law, 18, who accompanied Jay on the trip. Maintaining regular contact with Jay's family, Mr Williams-Thomas has already provided them with an initial report of his findings.

Jay's last known whereabouts were leaving the holiday rental, located a significant distance, over 20 miles and an 11-hour walk, from the Los Cristianos apartment where he was staying with Brad and Lucy. He made a call to her at 8.30am, just 20 minutes before his phone was last detected near the La Cruz de Hilda viewpoint in Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve. Mr Williams-Thomas stated: "I have spoken to lots of witnesses and have a clear picture of what happened overnight of Sunday 16th through to the morning of 17th June."

"We know that shortly before 6am on Monday 16th June Jay left the area of Veronica's Strip, Las Americas, in a Seat Leon hire car with two males casually known to him. Jay and a number of his friends had spent time with them on and off over the previous two days." "All three males, including Jay, then travelled north via the main motorway, the TF-1, to go to the two males' holiday rental Casa Abuela Tina in Masca, which was about an hour away."

"Not long after arriving at the rental Jay, at around 7am, Jay had contact with various friends via social media both inside and outside the rental." "During these calls various video chats were had and pictures sent, including the one he took on the doorstep, which they are confident is him, wearing a throw or blanket from the apartment and his black and green Air Max trainers that he had gone out in that night." "We know around 0800 there was a level of communication with the host of the rental property in which she communicated via hand digits to him that the bus would leave at 10am from the bus stop by the apartment."

"With this, Jay walked off turning left and up the hill. Jay had an Apple iPhone. Apple Maps takes you that route if walking back to Los Cristianos, where he was staying."

"We know then at 8.49am and 8.50am Jay sent his location via both snapchat and WhatsApp to two friends. We can confirm that it was Jay using his phone at this stage." "The location was fixed by GPS and we have done tests in that area and it is accurate to five to 10 metres.

The fixed point is the Barranco Juan Lopez hiking path which fits the description given by the witnesses that spoke to him stating that he was on a stony path." "From this point no further contact is had with Jay because his phone battery dies and there have been no confirmed sightings of him." Mr Williams-Thomas says he has ruled out that Jay has been kidnapped, despite his mum Debbie previously saying she believed that was what had happened to him, as he says "no credible ransom demand has been made".

He added: "We have no evidence at this stage to say there was any third-party criminal involvement in Jay's disappearance." "However, there are still a number of outstanding actions and therefore we still remain open minded to the possibility of this changing." "The evidence strongly supports that Jay walked off and was walking for at least 30 minutes off the road on a track before he last had contact with friends, with a very accurate location pin drop at 8.50am."

"I would make an appeal for landowners in the area of Teno Rural Park to check any outbuildings and land that they have and hope that some further searches will continue by volunteers in the area not yet searched." Mr Williams-Thomas, who has been maintaining regular contact with Jay's family, shared his thoughts on today's announcement. He stated: "I have largely remained silent to date with our investigation, not giving any interviews, but have felt the need to make a clear statement of facts, which I have advised the family I would be doing today."

"This has been done as I hope it will enable people to accept the evidential facts and thus reduce the number of inaccurate information that is being published and circulated." "You will appreciate that as part of our investigation we have spoken to a significant number of witnesses, including Jay's friends, who have fully engaged with us and as such we have received a significant amount of both personal and sensitive information which we will not be releasing." He continued: "It is now into the 16th day since 19-year Jay Slater vanished.

In that time his disappearance has attracted worldwide media attention and as such extensive coverage on social media." "This has led to massive speculation, with theories at times very misleading and with inaccurate information. Overwhelmingly people are fascinated and as such want to do their bit to help, whether that be doing their own detective work or just providing comment."

"What people often lose sight of, don't consider, and I am sure for a few, don't care, is that Jay's family and close friends read a lot of the media and some comments have been so unfair and unkind to a family who right now are in total shock and despair. Please just think before you post, and if you would not say it about your missing loved one then don't say or post it now." Warren stated: "I've took him on many a trail when he was a kid up where we live.

He doesn't know this area, but when he was a kid I've taken him up Pendle Hill.

Speaking about criticism the family have received over wanting to withdraw part of the GoFundMe donations, which have now reached nearly GBP50,000, he said: "We just want to pay for our hotel, we don't want to do anything."

References

1. ^ the Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ Rolex watch (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
3. ^ ITV (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)