Family responds to end of search for Jay Slater | World

Spanish police in Tenerife decided on Sunday to stop searching for Jay Slater, who has been missing since June 17.

Despite extensive search efforts, the 19-year-old has not been found. Instead, police have announced that the search will resume only when they receive information that could lead them to Jay.

But family friend Rachel Hargreaves, whose son partied with Jay during the festival, told the Daily Mail they will not be leaving the island.

– Nobody's leaving until we find Jay, that's all I have to say., She tells the magazine.

The fact that the search efforts have ended makes no difference.

“We stay and do what we have to do. Nothing has changed,” says Rachel Hargreaves. “We’ll keep looking for him.”

“I will not give up”

Volunteers will also remain on the island and will search for new areas in the coming days. Among other things, the family has enlisted the help of Paul Arnott, a climber who has become a big name on Tiktok.

“It's been exhausting and the work has been really hard, but I won't give up until we find Jay,” Arnott previously told the newspaper.

Jay's mother, Debbie Duncan, previously told The Telegraph she was grateful for Paul Arnott's help.

Jay's last traces

Jay was in Tenerife for a music festival. His last known sighting was when he climbed a mountain in Masca on June 17, where he accompanied two men back to their accommodation after the final night of the festival.

When he missed the bus back to his accommodation, he decided to walk the eleven hours.

He then called his girlfriend Lucy May Lu and told her he was lost, “thirsty and confused,” and had only one percent battery left on his cell phone.