The desolate ravine where Jay Slater’ disappeared is showing “eerie signs of life.”
The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer vanished on June 17 while holidaying in the remote Rural de Teno area of Tenerife for a three-day music festival with mates.
He left his friends to stay at a secluded Airbnb with two other festival-goers before attempting to make the 11-hour trek back to his lodgings the next.
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Jay rang his friend Lucy Mae Law to say his phone battery was down to 1%, he was thirsty and had injured his leg on a cactus.
(Image: MEN Media)
His mobile last sent a signal from somewhere in the mountainous region near the village of Masca, which became the focus of the Spanish police’s search before they officially called it off last Sunday.
Despite this, Jay’s family and friends have persisted in their search, aided by a former British detective. Journalists have also shared their experiences of the harsh landscape, reports the Mirror.
MailOnline reporter Fred Kelly wrote: “Sharp-needled cacti grow higher than a man’s head and there’s no sound other than the noise of geckos scuttling in the undergrowth and the distant howl of the wind above the ravine.”
Uncovering chilling remnants of past presence, he said: “In a sinister twist, the Mail uncovered eerie signs of life in one of two derelict homesteads nestled in the ravine: shoelaces knotted with twigs into haunting symbols akin to scenes from a horror flick, discarded water bottles, and – most bizarrely – a set of clean women’s attire.”
(Image: Stan Kujawa)
It comes after TikTok star and keen climber Paul Arnott, who joined the hunt for Jay in Tenerife, revealed a potential lead on Monday.
The 29-year-old, supported by Jay’s devastated mother, Debbie and maintaining constant contact with the family, hinted that a pair of damaged sunglasses, similar to those Jay was known to wear, might be significant.
On TikTok, Mr Arnott stated: “Moving forward a lot of new things have come out due to interviews. There are quite a few things I’m gonna chase up today as well. One is a three-word GPS. The other, apart from that, is a pair of sunglasses that were found by a man called Chris, who I’ll be meeting up with later today.”
Jay’s father, Warren had previously expressed his belief that it wasn’t wise for the family to venture into the ravine themselves, citing “how dangerous it is.” He said: “These are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous…It’s tough, it’s hard.”
Warren said on Wednesday: “We’ve been all the way down. We’ve walked as far as you can until it’s too dangerous.”
He added: “This is where his phone last pinged. This was the valley and I’ve come to the point of no return. We followed the path all the way down the valley. If I had mountain boots on and some ropes I would go for it, but I can’t do it in Adidas sandals.”
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