As the desperate search for missing British teenager Jay Slater is ongoing after he vanished in Tenerife, there have sadly been a number of youngsters that have gone missing without a trace.
The 19-year-old was in the Canary Islands on a three-day musical festival holiday but on Monday morning (June 17) he called a pal to say he was “in the middle of nowhere” and needed water before his phone battery died.
Jay, from Lancashire, was reportedly attempting to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus following a night out – despite it being an 11-hour walk.
READ MORE: Teen missing in Tenerife called pal to say he was lost and needed water as battery died
Get the latest news on the Daily Star homepage.
(Image: Getty Images)
His mum, Debbie, who flew to Tenerife on Tuesday (June 19), told the Daily Mail: “I’m obviously beside myself with worry which is why I’ve flown out here with my eldest son to do anything we can to help. It sounds as if the police here are taking this very seriously and doing the best job they can.”
A spokeswoman for the Civic Guard in Tenerife said they were doing “everything possible” to find Jay but at the time of writing the teenager remained missing.
Over the years, sadly many British teenagers have vanished without a trace. We look back at some of these tragic cases where families are still waiting for answers:
Andrew Gosden
Andrew was last seen on 14 September, 2007, when he was 14-years-old and on the day of his disappearance he took £200 from his bank account before buying a one-way ticket to London.
(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
The young lad, from Doncaster, was last seen via CCTV footage at King’s Cross Station and the reason for his trip was never established.
In 2017, Andrew’s father, Kevin Gosden, told the Sunday People: “I just don’t want this to happen to other people. The police need to have something in place to deal with families in extreme distress in a sensible way.
“There needs to be more understanding of just how crazy and how out of your mind you are going when your kid’s just disappeared.
“Now even a bag of bones would be a relief, to be honest, as it would at least let you grieve instead of living in limbo.”
His case remains a mystery after two men were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking in 2022 – before being released without charge.
Lee Boxell
Lee Boxell was 15 when he vanished from his home of Cheam, Sutton, on September 10, 1988.
(Image: Channel 5)
The schoolboy was reportedly on his way to a football game at Selhurst Park but he was last seen on Sutton High Street just after 2pm.
Detectives later established that Lee visited ‘the shed’ – an unofficial youth club at St Dunstan’s Church, Cheam. On the afternoon that he vanished, police believe he witnessed someone being sexually abused at the shed.
Cops fear he was fatally assaulted to prevent him from exposing the suspect, but a body has ever been found.
His father, Lee Boxell, told the Sutton Guardian in 2021: “We’re both getting old now, so we don’t want to go to our graves without knowing what has happened to our son.”
Last year, a £20,000 reward was offered for any information on his disappearance.
Ruth Wilson
It has been almost 30 years since then 16-year-old Ruth Wilson caught a cab to oblivion.
On the cold morning of November 27, 1995, Ruth told her sister that she wasn’t taking the school bus with her. Her boyfriend then showed up and offered her a lift but she declined.
Rather than going to school, Ruth took a cab from her home in Betchworth to Dorking where she spent the day in a library.
Hours later, after having ordered flowers for her stepmother, she took another taxi to Bridleway. The driver later told cops that Ruth was standing in the rain looking for someone after he dropped her off.
Her pals told police that she had recently discovered that her mum, Nesta, had hanged herself when Ruth was four. Previously to that, Ruth had been told her mother had passed away from falling down the stairs.
In 2021, a spokesperson for a police spokesperson said: “Surrey Police continues to keep an open mind about what is behind Ruth’s disappearance. At this time there is no further evidence to support any one particular line of enquiry about what has happened to Ruth.”
Kevin Hicks
Kevin Hicks was 16 when he was last seen over 35 years ago on March 2, 1986.
(Image: PA)
He told his family he was popping out to buy eggs for a cooking exam the following day. Kevin had just £1 in his pocket and was last spotted in Shirley Road, Croydon, at 10pm walking in the direction of home.
But was never seen since and tragically his parents died without ever finding the truth. His sister, Alexandra, said in a heartbreaking statement: “If something’s happened to you I need to lay you to rest with Mum and Dad. You are a Great Uncle now, yes I know we are too young haha.
“My daughters and grandchildren keep me going while I’m searching/looking for you. I just need answers, I have a massive empty hole in my heart. It’s from missing you, the not knowing.
“If you’re still out there we have so many birthdays to celebrate together. I love you Kevin I need my brother back please help me xx”.
Sasha McLeish
Schoolgirl Sasha McLeish was 15 when she left home at 8am on June 23, 2006.
(Image: Collect)
She told her loved ones she would be back late because there was a youth club dance she wanted to attend after school. But Sasha, from Luton, never made it to either school or the social event.
She reportedly had a secret boyfriend in Harlesden, north West London, and Bedfordshire Police theorised she may have travelled there before vanishing.
Her mum, Avril Clarke, later told The Independent: “It has been a horrible nightmare since that day. I can’t understand why this has happened.”
Genette Tate
Genette Tate vanished way back on August 19, 1978, and her case represents one of the longest missing person inquiries in the UK.
(Image: Wikipedia)
She was 13 at the time and was covering a paper round for a week in her hometown of Devon. At 3.30pm she stopped to talk to two friends before riding along on her bicycle. Just seven minutes, later her pals found the bike lying in the middle of the road with newspapers scattered by it.
The bike wasn’t damaged, ruling out a hit and run, and running away was unlikely because she had no money or belongings with her.
However, she was never seen since that warm sunny day 45 years ago. One theory was that she was taken by child killer Robert Black, who at the time was a delivery driver.
Police were reportedly close to charging Black with Genette’s murder but justice was never served because he died in prison shortly after in 2006. Her father, John Tate, died in 2020.
Patrick Warren and David Spencer
Best pals Patrick Warren and David Spencer, 11 and 13, went missing over 25 years ago on Boxing Day 1996.
(Image: Birmingham Post and Mail)
The pair, who became known as ‘the Milk Carton Kids’, left their homes in Solihull, near Birmingham, to meet up and play.
The boys were last seen at a petrol station where an attendant handed them biscuits before they walked towards the local shopping centre after midnight. The bike Patrick got for Christmas was later found abandoned at the petrol station.
Months later they became the first British kids to appear on milk cartons in Iceland shops as part of a missing children campaign.
One theory is that the boys were targeted by child killer Brian Field, who lived near the pair at the time. Field was caged in 2001 after raping and murdering schoolboy Roy Tutill in 1968.
He was questioned by West Midlands Police in 2006 about the disappearance of Patrick and David but no charge was ever made. Field died in prison in April of this year.
Reporting missing people
If you see a missing person, anonymously call 116 000 for free, 24 hours a day or visit missingkids.org.uk, a website run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, the UK’s national law enforcement agency for protecting children.
You can also call the police force dealing with the case, giving details of where and when you saw the person.
If you are a young person who is considering running away, call or text 116 000 at any time for support.