Deluge of tip-offs flooding in for Jay Slater appeal as ex-Madeleine McCann investigator reveals ‘new focus’ of probe
AN investigator probing Jay Slater’s disappearance has received a deluge of tip-offs about the missing teen.
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas says his new focus is tracking down those who had direct contact with the 19-year-old before he vanished.
Mark – who worked on the Madeleine McCann case – is not involved with the official police-led search for Jay.
It is unclear how much involvement he has with Jay’s family, who are also in Tenerife.
Mark said today: “I am grateful for the huge response from the public with information about Jay Slater.”
“My focus now is on those who had direct contact with Jay in the days leading up to and on the night and morning of his disappearance, or if you were in the area of Masca.
“I am also interested to hear from anyone who at any stage spoke to, or saw, the two men that Jay went back to the rental apartment with.”
On Wednesday, Mark revealed descriptions of two mystery men Jay partied with before he disappeared.
After going to a rave that finished in the early hours of June 17, Jay headed to Masca with two British men he had met that night.
He shared a final Snapchat from their Airbnb of a hand holding a cigarette at 7.30am.
Jay then tried to make his way back to his holiday accommodation – an 11-hour walk away.
But at around 8.50am he made a final frantic call to friend Lucy, telling her he was lost in the “middle of nowhere” with no water and had just one per cent battery on his phone.
Mark believes the two men are “key witnesses” and claimed both of the men are black and in their 30s or early 40s.
They are said to be from Luton, Bedfordshire, with one going by the nickname “Johnny Vegas”.
Neither of them are believed to have been to the NRG music festival where Jay spent the day partying before he vanished.
One of the men was described as around 6ft tall, quite stocky, with short dark hair.
He was seen wearing an orange wristband and drank Hennessy cognac on the night where he was with Jay.
It comes as…
- Jay’s best friend who he was on holiday with ‘not coping’
- Search for Jay hones in on series of caves
- GoFundMe page for his family hits £40,000
- Crews fear he won’t be found alive if he vanished in mountains
- Tenerife worst place to go missing, expert warned before Jay went missing
- Ex-top cop who tracked down Raoul Moat reveals search theory
- Jay was attacked by gang when he was just 12
- New pics of Jay emerge at a pool party two days before he vanished
- Cops quiz locals who ‘saw Jay watching Euros’
- Investigator reveals descriptions of two men who partied with teen
- Crews scour exact spot where mystery ‘grainy figure’ was seen
Mark has said he will release an image of one of the men if they refuse to come forward and help in the investigation.
The men spoke with the Lancashire teen outside the Papagayo nightclub on the strip last Monday morning before driving him back to their accommodation, Mark claimed.
He added: “The family are desperate for these men to come forward as witnesses. They are not currently assisting.
“The group sat outside on the wall outside the club after the night ended. Witnesses say he seemed quite in control of himself.
“What we don’t know is why he went with them.”
The men were only in Tenerife for a couple of days before travelling back to Luton Airport this week.
The Sun revealed on Tuesday that British cops were yet to quiz the two men despite investigators still searching for more leads.
Mark continued: “When Jay got back to their place he made a number of phone calls to friends and was jovial and upbeat.
“There is a drugs fraternity here [in Tenerife], I can’t say if it has an influence but it is obvious to see.”
Detectives and rescue crews have been working tirelessly for 12 days to try and find Jay – with the search sparking worldwide concern.
The owner of the Airbnb where the men stayed said she has given all the information she had to the police.
Ofelia Hernandez, who owns the holiday let, revealed they were friendly, booked several days at the cottage, and spent a lot of time inside the property.
It comes as the search for Jay has honed in a series of barren caves further along the desolate Rural de Teno park.
Rescue crews had been scouring a 2,000ft ravine in the mountainous terrain.
They have now shifted their focus to caves near Los Carrizales – around an hour and a half on foot from the Airbnb Jay went to with two men.
Los Carrizales is a small hamlet not far from Masca in the Teno mountains.
But police sources have warned that it is “very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains”.
Yet authorities have said there are no plans to put a stop to the search yet, despite no signs of the 19-year-old.
Timeline of Jay Slater’s disappearance
SUNDAY JUNE 16 – MONDAY 17
Jay goes to a rave at the 2024 NRG music festival in Tenerife, around Arona on the south of the island
8.35pm – Jay posts a smiling Snapchat video of him laughing with friends
He leaves the rave with two men he met that day and is driven back to their accommodation across the island
MONDAY 17
7.30am – Jay posts a Snapchat of a hand holding a cigarette in the area where the accommodation was – near the rural de Teno Park on the north of the island
8.30am – Jay calls his friend Lucy Law and tells her he missed a bus, had one per cent of battery left on his phone and was stuck in the “middle of nowhere”
9am – A missing persons report is filed and the search for Jay begins
TUESDAY 18
2am – Police knock on the door of Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan’s home and tell her to catch the first flight out to Tenerife
7am – She flies out from Manchester Airport alongside her son Zak to help with the search
Debbie is sent a Snapchat message saying “Kiss goodbye to your boy, you’re never going to see him again, he owes me a lot of money.”
WEDNESDAY 19
12.30pm – Police move the search to the south of the island briefly after a false sighting
Cops search his hotel room for clues as his mum says there was “nothing untoward there”
Debbie gives a heart-wrenching interview where she shares fears he has been “taken” and says “I just want my baby back”
THURSDAY 20
Cops begin day four of the massive search for Jay
FRIDAY 21
Lancashire cops offer to help with the search but Tenerife authorities say they are “satisfied that they have the resources they need”
Search turns to 22,000ft ravine in Masca – part of an area dubbed “the badlands” by locals
SATURDAY 22
The sixth day of the search begins with sniffer dogs, cops, mountain rescue and firefighters again taking to the hills in northern Tenerife
Possible new sighting of Jay places him near a church with two men at 6pm on Monday – although unconfirmed by police
Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak visit the search site in Tenerife
SUNDAY 23
Cops focus their search around small outbuildings in de Teno park near where Jay’s phone last pinged
Jay’s mum Debbie says trolls are comparing her to Karen Matthews
The GoFundMe set up by Jay’s friend Lucy surpasses £30,000 after just three days
Exclusive Sun footage shows Jay appearing to fall and stumble back up at a rave before he vanished
MONDAY 24
Search for Jay enters eighth day
Police expand search area north to parts of Buenavista del Norte
Jay’s dad says his family are in ‘a living hell’
TUESDAY 25
Brit hiker found by Jay search teams says he ‘didn’t need to be saved’
Madeleine McCann cop lands in Tenerife to join search
Tenerife cops call in reinforcements from Madrid – including specialist sniffer dogs
WEDNESDAY 26
Locals claim they have spotted Jay watching Euros
Investigator reveals descriptions of two men Jay partied with
Cops scour exact spot where ‘mystery grainy figure’ was seen
THURSDAY 27
Detectives ‘fear it’s unlikely Jay will be found alive if in mountains’
Search hones in on series of caves in desolate park
Family ‘turn to help of TikTok sleuth’
GoFundMe goes £10,000 over target as it hits £40,000