Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Timeline: The search for missing teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife

The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.

Sam Hall
Monday 24 June 2024 07:03 EDT
A firefighter looks over the village of Masca, Tenerife, where the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, 19, continues (James Manning/PA)
A firefighter looks over the village of Masca, Tenerife, where the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, 19, continues (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The search for Jay Slater in Tenerife is continuing over a week after he was last heard from on the Spanish island.

The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus in the north of island.

Here are the key updates so far from the search for the 19-year-old:

Sunday June 16

Mr Slater attended the NRG music festival with friends at Papagayo nightclub in the tourist resort of Playa de las Americas in the south of the island.

Monday June 17

In the early hours of Monday he goes to stay in an apartment in the north of the island with people he had met over the course of the night.

7.30amMr Slater posts a picture on Snapchat from the doorway of the property he stayed at overnight, tagged as being in Rural de Teno park.

8.30amHe calls his friend, Lucy Law, telling her he had attempted to walk back to his accommodation after missing his bus – a journey that would take more than ten hours.

In the frantic last phone call, Mr Slater said he had “cut his leg” on a cactus and had “no idea where he was”.

Ms Law said her friend told her he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.

Mr Slater’s phone runs out of battery shortly after with his last known location being in Rural de Teno park.

9.04amHe is reported missing.

Tuesday June 18

After friends spend the previous day searching to no avail, local police and mountain rescue teams scour Rural de Teno park for Mr Slater.

His family fly out to Tenerife to join the search.

Wednesday June 19

The search is temporarily moved to the Los Cristianos area in the south of the island due to a potential lead, but this is quickly discounted and the search returns north.

Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, said she feared her son had “been taken against his will”.

Thursday June 20

The search returns to Rural de Teno park, around the village of Masca.

Emergency workers met in various locations throughout the day, combing bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides and rivers but failed to find the missing teenager.

Friday June 21

Spanish police reject an offer of support from Lancashire Constabulary as the hunt continues.

Police, firefighters and search and rescue personnel combed a vast area of land in and around the village of Masca.

Search and rescue personnel carefully looked through dead palm trees covering a river at the bottom of the hillside near to an Airbnb property Mr Slater had reportedly been driven to.

The owner of the property told reporters she saw Mr Slater walk up the road past her property but did not see him again after that – describing the situation as worrying.

Saturday June 22

Mr Slater’s mother issues a direct plea to her missing son on the sixth day of the hunt, saying: “We just need you home.”

Firefighters appeared to conduct the majority of the searches as they wore helmets to tackle dangerous hillside terrain in Tenerife.

The search parties seemed noticeably smaller compared to other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in the village of Masca and the surrounding areas.

Sunday June 23

Search teams narrowed their efforts on small buildings close to where Mr Slater’s phone last pinged.

Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Island could be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park.

Efforts appeared to be solely focused on the one area after days of searches in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.

Monday June 24The search for Mr Slater enters an eighth day.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in