Jay Slater friend says he saw teen slipping down hill in video call moments before he went missing

28 June 2024, 10:22 | Updated: 28 June 2024, 18:43

Police in Tenerife have called for volunteers to take part in a large-scale search for missing Jay Slater - as the British teenager's friend revealed details of a video call the pair had shortly before he vanished.

Officials said it would take place on Saturday in the village of Masca on the Spanish island.

In a statement, police said: "The Guardia Civil prepares and coordinates a large search to find the young British man missing in the village of Masca.

"The collaboration of all those volunteer associations is requested: Civil protection, firefighters, etc., and even private volunteers who are experts in the abrupt search terrain.

"The massive search will be carried out on Saturday, 29 June from 9am.

"Bearing in mind that this is an abrupt, rocky area, full of unevenness and with a multitude of ravines, paths and roads, the collaboration of all those associations of volunteers who can help in this raid that is intended to be carried out in a directed and coordinated manner is requested," the statement said.

Police said volunteers should call the Guardia Civil before 8pm this evening if they want to join the search.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.

The apprentice bricklayer had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.

The walk from Mr Slater's last known location, Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.

Meanwhile, one of Mr Slater's friends told ITV's This Morning about his last video call with the 19-year-old.

Brad, a close friend of Mr Slater, said yes to the reporter's question as to whether he saw the missing teenager's feet slide on rocks. He said that is how he knew Mr Slater was not on a road, and described the sound as when someone is walking on gravel or stones.

Brad added that Mr Slater went down a "little drop" in one of his last video calls.

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He said the missing teenager was not concerned and that they were both "laughing" about the situation.

"He said, 'look where I am'. He didn't seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he were," Brad said.

"I said, 'put your location on'. He said: '15-minute drive, 14-hour walk'. I don't know if it's accurate or not so I said to him: 'It's only a 15-minute drive, get a taxi'."

Today's police statement comes as Mr Slater's family welcomed the help of a TikTok creator among those leading an online search for the missing teenager.

Sky News spoke earlier this week to Paul Arnott, who has been sharing clips of his own search effort on TikTok and said he came to Tenerife when he heard the family "needed help".

According to The Daily Telegraph, his efforts attracted the interest of Mr Slater's family, who contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.

"They said they're really proud of what I'm doing," Mr Arnott, 29, told the newspaper.

Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, told the paper she has "every faith" in the police and singled out Mr Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an "explorer", and another TikTok creator Callum Rahim for thanks.

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"[I] can't thank Paul Arnott enough, also Callum Rahim and his friends for working alongside with the search and rescue teams," she said.

"Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and my paranoia, you saw it first hand. As a family, we are in a living nightmare."

Social media has also had a dark side for the family, with Ms Duncan and her son's friends at the centre of conspiracy theories.

The construction company that employs Mr Slater shared a post on Facebook earlier on Thursday urging people to stop sending them "cruel" emails and to stop posting theories online.

Also on Thursday, Ms Duncan said £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 donations will help cover her accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island as well as support rescue teams.

(c) Sky News 2024: Jay Slater friend says he saw teen slipping down hill in video call moments before he went missing