The mother of missing teenager Jay Slater met with Tenerife police on Monday, 24 hours after officers called off the search for him.
His heartbroken parents, Debbie and Warren, an apprentice bricklayer, spoke to officers in search of answers to the ongoing investigation.
A source close to the family said: “The family want to ensure that police do not give up on Jay. They are in constant contact with them about the case.”
Former British police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who is supporting the family, previously said: “They speak to the police almost every day and are doing so again today. “
The meeting, which is said to have taken place by phone, came as detectives announced they had found no evidence of a crime in relation to Jay’s disappearance and would be treating the case as a missing person case.
As is customary in Spain, the police informed the court, which launched a routine investigation and yesterday released further details of the case. In particular, Jay was officially reported missing “between 6pm and 8pm” on 17 June.
A Justice Department source, who asked not to be named, said: “At this stage, there is no evidence of criminal activity in this case. It doesn’t mean anything will change, because the case is still open and the investigation is ongoing. But that’s the situation at the moment. Judge Maria Goya is presiding.”
Another source said: “The Civil Guard doesn’t have to tell the judge everything the officers are doing, but they will keep her informed of the progress of the case and of course they will keep her informed of any important developments with Jay.”
The family, including his mother, Debbie, who works as a school finance officer, and his father, Warren, 58, have vowed to remain in Spain until Jay is found.
Debbie has previously said she believes he may have been kidnapped, but there has been no credible ransom demand. TikTok star and amateur climber Paul Arnott, 29, who works for the family, continued his search yesterday in the area near Masca where Jay was last seen.
Mr Arnott, from Bedfordshire, yesterday focused on two new clues, including a set of GPS coordinates and the discovery of a pair of broken sunglasses similar to those previously worn by Jay.
However, it has not been confirmed whether the glasses are linked to the missing teenager. Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, had been partying at Papagayo nightclub in Playa Las Americas the night before his disappearance.
Two elderly Britons drove him 32 miles from his accommodation to his villa in Masca, 11 hours away, where he was found on foot the following morning. Police said the two had “nothing to do” with his disappearance.
Mr Arnott had previously strongly criticised the police’s final day of the search on Saturday, which involved around 30 professional rescuers and just six volunteers, as “ridiculous” and a “massive PR stunt”.
He also floated the idea of bringing in British search teams, suggesting:
“Maybe we’ll contact the Scottish Mountain Rescue Service on Monday and see if we can discuss it, but at the moment this is ridiculous. This is crazy.
