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Topics: Jay Slater, News, UK News, World News
Jess Hardiman
The mum of missing Brit Jay Slater has released a heartbreaking statement following news that the search for her son had been called off by Spanish police.
Slater, 19, disappeared after a night out in Tenerife last month, having arrived on the island on 13 June for a music festival.
The last time he was heard from was around 8am on 17 June, telling his friends in a phonecall he was in the middle of nowhere and needed water.
His phone then died, with his last location shown as being Rural de Teno Park - or the National Park of Teno – in the north west of Tenerife.
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Over the weekend, Spanish police confirmed that the official search for the Lancashire-born teenager had come to an end.
However, the case remains open, with a Guardia Civil spokesperson telling Reuters there are ‘several lines of investigation’.
Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, said the family have been left ‘absolutely devastated’ by his disappearance, saying he is just a ‘normal guy’ who is in his third year of an apprenticeship.
Speaking via British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: “He is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends. We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance.
"Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing.
"He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him. We do not have any information on his whereabouts.”
Duncan praised the Guardia Civil for working ‘tirelessly’ in the mountains where Slater’s last phone call was traced, noting how the force searched for 12 days using ‘every resource they had available’.
“Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation,” she continued.
"We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of inquiries.
"We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.”
Duncan went on to address online speculation about Slater’s whereabouts, which she said had been difficult for the family.
She added: "We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.
"We also embrace the love and support we have received from across the globe. It has not gone unnoticed, especially his home town in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
"As a family we would like the world to respect our privacy at this present time."