A former British police detective who worked for the family of missing Jay Slater has claimed Jay Slater was scared as he left the villa where he was last seen.
Mark Williams-Thomas, who has investigated many high-profile missing persons cases, made the claim about the apprentice bricklayer on Wednesday morning as he updated the public on his last known movements.
The TV detective also said Jay, 19, was unable to return to the premises and that two Spanish police officers wearing forensic-style blue loafers over their shoes had searched the premises on Tuesday morning.
Jay had been there with two elderly Britons before he disappeared and was last seen leaving the whitewashed house known as Casa Abuela Tina at around 8am on June 17.
Williams-Thomas, 54, said: “We have information that Jay was scared and left the rental property and did not want to return there, even though it would have been the most sensible thing to do. He could have charged his phone there or gotten some water.”
It added: “He was asked to return to his rental apartment. He said he couldn’t do that and that he’d already been walking for 30 minutes and that now he was off the road and walking on a dirt track with stones falling on it.” Both men were apparently spoken to by officials before leaving the island but are not connected to the missing persons investigation.
But what sheds new light on Jay’s mental state shortly before his disappearance is Williams Thomas’ claim that Jay posted the following message: I’m so sorry Jay. He became involved in the search for Jay after contacting Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, 55, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, and offering her free assistance, which she accepted.
On 24 June he travelled to the island where he was seen investigating the holiday rental and Papagayo nightclub where Jay had been seen shortly before his disappearance.
Investigators also got in touch with Jay’s family and friends, including his best friends Brad Hargreaves, 19, and Lucy May Law, 18, who were vacationing with him, and said he has remained in close contact with Jay’s family and provided them with a preliminary report on his findings last week.
Jay was last seen leaving a vacation rental, more than 32 miles and 11 hours’ walk away from the apartment in Los Cristianos where he was staying with friends Brad and Lucy. He called her at 8:30 a.m., 20 minutes before his cell phone last “beeped” near La Cruz de Hilda Lookout in the Teno Wilderness Area.
Williams-Thomas said: We know that shortly before 6 a.m. on Monday, June 16, Jay left in a rented Seat Leon in the Veronica’s Strip area of Las Americas with two men he casually knew.
“Jay and some of his friends had been hanging out with them intermittently for the past two days. The three men, including Jay, then drove north along highway TF-1 to Casa Abuela Tina, the couple’s vacation home in Masca, about an hour away.
“Around 7 a.m., shortly after arriving at the vacation rental, Jay was in contact with various friends both inside and outside the vacation rental through social media.
“During these calls, various video chats were conducted and photos were sent, including one he took outside the door, which undoubtedly shows him bringing blankets and blankets from the apartment and the black and green Air Max sneakers he was wearing that night.
“We know that at approximately 8am, the landlord of the rental property was contacted and gave hand signals indicating that the bus would be leaving at 10am from the bus stop,” which would be next to the apartment building. Jay then set off, turning left and running up the hill.
“Jay had an Apple iPhone and Apple Maps showed him the route as he walked back to Los Cristianos, where he lived. We know that Jay then sent his location to two friends via Snapchat and WhatsApp at 8:49am and 8:50am. We can confirm that it was Jay who was using the cell phone at the time.
“The location was determined by GPS, which was tested in the area and was accurate to within 5-10 meters. The fixed point was the Barranco Juan Lopez hiking trail, which matches the description of the witness who spoke to him and saw him walking along a rocky path.
“Contact with Jay has been lost since due to the cell phone battery dying, and there have been no confirmed sightings of him.”
Williams-Thomas said he has denied the possibility that Jay was abducted, but his mother, Debbie, previously said she believes he was abducted, and that “no credible ransom demands have been made.” He added: “At this stage there is no evidence that a third party was criminally involved in Jay’s disappearance.
“However, as many cases remain unsolved, we are always open to the possibility that things may change. The evidence strongly suggests that Jay left and continued running down the dirt road for at least 30 minutes before last making contact with his friends, the exact location of which occurred at 8:50am.
“We appeal to landowners in the Teno Rural Park area to check all outbuildings and land on their property. We hope volunteers will conduct further searches in areas not yet searched.”
Williams-Thomas said he continues to be in regular contact with Jay’s family and had informed them of today’s announcement. He said: “I have kept a fairly low profile to date and have not been interviewed as part of the investigation, but I feel the need to clearly state the facts and have communicated to the family that I intend to do so today.”
“I have done this because I hope that this will allow people to accept the evidence and reduce the amount of inaccurate information being published and circulated.
“As part of our investigation, you will understand that we have spoken to numerous witnesses, including friends of Jay’s, who have cooperated fully with us, and as a result, we have obtained a large amount of personal and confidential information. Release.”
He further added: “It is now 16 days since the disappearance of 19-year-old Jay Slater. During this time, his disappearance has attracted worldwide media attention and corresponding extensive coverage on social media.
“This has led to extensive speculation, including some very misleading theories and inaccurate information. People are overwhelmingly intrigued and want to do their part, either through their own detective work or by simply commenting.
“I understand that this is something that people often overlook, don’t take into consideration and some people just don’t care, but the thing is Jay’s family and close friends have been reading a ton of media and some of the comments have been extremely unfair and unkind. The family are in complete shock and despair at this moment.
“Please think twice before posting anything. If it’s not something you would say about a missing loved one then don’t say or post right now.”
