'Crucial' new leads in hunt for Jay Slater as ex-detective shares key info (2024)

A former detective has pledged to track down the two unidentified men last seen with missing teenager Jay Slater, as he revealed key new leads.

Jay, 19, from Lancashire, has been missing in Tenerife since June 17, after disappearing in a rugged area in the northwest of the island. He had spent the previous night at an Airbnb before his disappearance, reportedly venturing alone into a remote region.

A massive search operation to find Jay has involved units from the Civil Guard, fire services and mountain rescue teams, combing through the challenging terrain of Rural de Teno Park. Alongside the official search parties, Jay's friends and family have flown out to assist in the efforts.

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Jay's mother, Debbie Duncan, says she has "barely slept" and is "at her wit's end with worry".

Former detective turned TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas, who has travelled to Tenerife to initiate his own investigation into the teen's disappearance, says he intends to locate the two British individuals believed to have shared the Airbnb accommodation with Jay in the remote village of Masca, urging them to come forward, reports the Mirror.

'Crucial' new leads in hunt for Jay Slater as ex-detective shares key info (1)

Mr Williams-Thomas has disclosed that he's got the name of one man and a snapshot of the other, both described as being in their 30s to 40s, as reported by the Manchester Evening News. He shared: "I have to date been able to speak to a large number of witnesses who were with him or came across him. There are a number of those that are probably not entirely truthful, and I intend to follow up with those people further.

"There are two key people that we have not yet spoken to, and these are the two men that took Jay back to that holiday rental in the hills. Those two men have spoken to the police - but are now back in England."

He added: "I urge those two people to come forward. I need to speak to those people, they have crucial information. There will be you, as well as many other people, who are asking very pertinent questions in relation to why they were here, what they were doing and why they took Jay back to that holiday rental.

'Crucial' new leads in hunt for Jay Slater as ex-detective shares key info (2)

"What we don't know is why, if they were partying here, they went to a holiday rental around an hour away in a really remote location. I don't know the answer to that, but my focus on that is to find those people. I am giving them the opportunity to come forward, they are crucial witnesses and (I want to) ask questions that could get answers."

In a bombshell update, the ex-police officer disclosed that on the early morning of Monday, June 17, it's thought that Jay crossed paths with two blokes and his mates at various watering holes along Playa de las Americas. Mark noted that Jay appeared to have his wits about him when he left a pub at 4am and perched himself on a wall before hopping into a car with the pair and making tracks for Masca.

Mark Williams-Thomas also spilled to journalists that a number of "key witnesses", some being Jay's own crew, have legged it back to England. He alleged that he received "lots of communication" in the form of messages and calls between Jay and others, which have regrettably been lost as they were shared via Snapchat.

'Crucial' new leads in hunt for Jay Slater as ex-detective shares key info (3)

He urged: "This is about finding Jay, we need as many people as possible to get involved. There are people out here who know more. There are people out here who have information who have seen Jay, had contact with Jay whilst he was here. If you were in those clubs on that evening or the early hours of the morning, please come forward."

Chatting about the potential CCTV snap of Jay in Santiago del Teide on Monday night, Williams-Thomas said: "It is not the best of images. Yes it could possibly be him, but if you walk around this area here, you will see an awful lot of young men who look like Jay, dress like Jay and have the skin fade like Jay.

"One thing that worries me is where has he been in those eight hours before he appeared in that location? To reach that village, he would have needed to trek the road. We don't know where he goes. What we need to know is did anyone drive up that area on that morning? It's a busy area, both with tourists and locals, if you saw Jay let us know. Anybody, let us know."

Mark hypothesised two possibilities, adding: "He has either come to harm by his own accident, up in the hills somewhere, but not directly by the rental. Or, there is a third party involvement. I cannot rule that out at the moment."

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'Crucial' new leads in hunt for Jay Slater as ex-detective shares key info (2024)

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