The best friends of missing teenager, Jay Slater, are said to have flown home after doing “all they could” in the search. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire has been missing in Tenerife since June 17.
Spanish police have since stood down their official search, but will respond to new leads, it is claimed. But as the search enters its fourth week, some pals who have been involved in the operation have flown home, the MailOnline reports.
His two best friends, Lucy Mae Law and Brad Hargreaves flew out to the Canary island with Jay for a music festival and eight-day holiday in June. Lucy and Brad, who are also 19, had been with missing teenager the night he disappeared, at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas.
The pair had stayed on in Tenerife for the past month, however, Brad was spotted at Tenerife south airport late on Sunday night. It is also understood that Lucy had already headed home some time earlier after doing “all she could to help”, reports the Mail Online.
Jay’s last known whereabouts are centred on rocky terrain close to the village of Masca. The last person to speak to the 19-year-old, who had flown out on an eight-day holiday on the Canary Island, was Lucy Mae Law.
Jay is said to have spoken on the phone where he said his phone only had 1% battery left and that he was thirsty. Several theories over what may have happened the the teenager have circulated, with Jay’s parents now leading an unofficial search in rural parts of Tenerife.
Jay’s family are currently still in Tenerife assisting the search, including his mother Debbie, 55, father Warren, 58, and brother Zak, 24, Rachel, 34.
The family were asked how long they were planning to stay and search for Jay, with Glen reportedly saying that he was unsure as he had to ‘get back as his children were at school’, but Warren and Debbie replied ‘I don’t know how long we’re going to be out here for. How long’s a piece of string?’, according to the Daily Mail.
Jay’s friend Brad was seen in the queue to board a flight from Manchester to Tenerife, browsing the cigarette section of duty free. In an earlier interview, he spoke about the last time he had heard his friend on the phone where he could hear his feet sliding on the terrain.
“Yeah that’s how I knew he went off the road. You could hear like when you walk on gravel, stones.” He shared he wasn’t worried at that point, but did tell his friend to put his location on.
