Jay Slater‘s family is waiting for Spanish police to green-light the use of high-tech gear in the search for the missing teenager, it has been claimed.
As the search in Tenerife for the 19-year-old is about to enter its third week, Jay’s family is aware of how important it is not to waste any time and is reportedly “desperate” to be able to use drones among other items to scour the Rural de Teno park area where his phone was last detected.
A source told the Sun Online: “They are desperate for permission to be granted that will allow them to use the specialist equipment they’ve identified.
“They’ve been speaking to experts who have suggested items that could help – things like [radar] tracking gear, drones and kit which can help at night-time too.”
Given how wide the search area is, taking advantage of similar technology could buy the family precious time and boost chances of finding clues leading to Jay.Â
The source added: “In an ideal world the family would like the equipment to be in the hands of those leading the search by next week. That’s what they are pushing for.”
Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing on June 17, a few days into his holidays in Tenerife with two friends – Lucy and Brad.
After attending a music festival and heading to the Papagayo club in Playa de las Americas with his friends, Jay decided to leave with two British men heading to their holiday rental in northwest Tenerife – an hour drive away from Los Cristianos where the teen was staying.
After remaining there for a few hours, Jay left the Airbnb and, at around 8am, he reportedly asked twice a cafe owner in the Masca area what time a bus was due to arrive.
At 8.30am the teen called his friend Lucy, telling her he was trying to walk back to Los Cristianos despite being several hours away by foot, had cut himself with a cactus, was without water and his phone was nearly out of battery charge.
Jay sent his location twice, the last time at 8.50am, before disappearing and sparking a huge search in an area spanning more than 18 miles and in a 2000-foot ravine.
Police called off the search on June 30. While the force continue the investigation, Jay’s loved ones are scouring the area themselves, alongside volunteers.
Warren Slater, Jay’s dad, voiced his family’s frustration, as he told the Mirror: “Tell me where I look, I can only go off the last sighting, the woman in that restaurant saw him going the wrong way. Which human being lets a young boy go the wrong way? Everything stinks. It’s just a riddle and I don’t know the answer.”