‘Picture Being Painted of Jay Slater is Just Not True’, Says Employer of Missing British Teen in Tenerife

The construction company that employs missing British teenager Jay Slater has stated that the “picture being painted of him is just not true.” Mr. Slater, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, has been missing in Tenerife since Monday morning.

Since his disappearance, rumors and conspiracy theories about his fate have circulated online, with social media users speculating on platforms including TikTok and Facebook. On Sunday, PH Build Group, which employs Mr. Slater as an apprentice bricklayer, addressed the misrepresentation of the teenager online.

The firm wrote on Facebook: “Our Jay is still missing! We have decided to remove our last post due to all the negative comments and conspiracy theories. Jay has been with us since he left school and is liked by all. He’s a valued member of our team and we stand by him. The picture being painted of him is just not true. The fact is he’s a 19-year-old lad missing in a foreign country. He needs to be back home where he belongs. Come on Jay, we are all praying for you”, via The Independent.

The 19-year-old’s family has flown to the Spanish island to join police and a team of mountain rescuers in the search for him. A GoFundMe appeal to raise money for the search, set up by Mr. Slater’s friend, has already passed £30,000. His mother, Debbie Duncan, thanked those who had donated, adding, “We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves.”

On Sunday, officers searching for Mr. Slater were seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park, where his phone last pinged before it ran out of battery. Efforts appeared to be focused on this area after days of searches in the northwestern mountain village of Masca and the surrounding landscape. Search teams on the seventh day of the hunt for Mr. Slater were seen looking into blue barrels outside one of the small buildings.

Mr. Slater attended the NRG festival in the south of Tenerife on Sunday, June 16, before going to Masca with two people he met at the event. His friends, with whom he had been holidaying, have not seen him since last Sunday night. On Monday morning, he spoke to one of them on the phone, telling her he was lost, in need of water, and only had 1% charge on his phone. He mentioned he had missed a bus and was attempting to walk back to his accommodation, an 11-hour journey.

Mr. Slater’s father, Warren Slater, told Sky News on Saturday that he is “just hoping that somebody has helped him off this mountain.” Warren, along with Jay’s brother Zak, has flown to Tenerife to aid in the search, describing the last few days as “a nightmare, just a nightmare.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Slater’s mother made a direct plea to her missing son to come home, saying, “We just need you home.” Ms. Duncan has “not slept” since his disappearance and is struggling to cope. “I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t,” she said.

The last person to speak to Mr. Slater was Masca local Ofelia Medina Hernandez, who informed him about a bus scheduled for 10am. She later saw him “walking fast.” Earlier this week, photographs emerged showing the Tenerife property where Mr. Slater had reportedly been before he went missing.