A former police chief who led the Raoul Moat manhunt in 2010 has shared her heart-wrenching theory on the disappearance of Jay Slater.
Speaking on the Sky News Daily podcast with Niall Paterson, ex-Northumbria chief constable Sue Sim gave her insights into the missing person case that has captivated the nation.
Jay, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished in the mountains of northern Tenerife on Monday, June 17, after attending a music festival.
Sue expressed her concern for the young man’s safety, stating: “They will be hoping that somebody has taken him in. As I’ve stressed before, this is a very very remote area of Tenerife, and not everybody has television, not everybody has radio.”
She further added: “It would, however, be very very surprising if he’d been kept away for a week so the chances are that this is now, unfortunately, a recovery operation. I must stress that the Guardia Civil have not said that.”
Sue continued: “They are looking… they are trying their best to find him, but seven days without water, which he said he had no water, without the appropriate clothing, that is a very very long time to be alone in that sort of terrain.”
Lucy Mae Law, a friend of Jay’s, revealed that he called her last Monday morning, sounding disoriented and in need of water. His phone battery was at one per cent.
It is believed that he was attempting to return to his accommodation, which was more than 30km away. A massive manhunt involving drones, sniffer dogs and a helicopter has been initiated by local authorities.
Jay’s family, including his mother, Debbie Duncan, father, Warren Slater, and older brother, Zak, have jetted to the island to aid in the search.
Niall also sought Sue’s thoughts on the amateur detectives who have either curtailed their Tenerife holiday or flown there specifically to assist with the search efforts.
She responded: “I would appeal for people not to do that. The issue is, the Guardia Civil and the mountain rescue team and the people that they have got involved are all trained in this area of work.
“To actually go along as a slightly upgraded armchair detective is not going to help Jay. If, as I repeat, if you have any intelligence, any information at all, phone your local police, who will get it out to the Guardia Civil.”
Sue cautioned people against trampling over potential evidence trails and suggested that unprepared travellers could soon result in more missing persons.