Jay Slater’s family detective has revealed the horrifying details of hoax videos posted on the internet with the aim of extorting the missing teen’s parents.
The missing teen disappeared on June 17, and today a body was found just a 20-minute walk from where his phone last pinged off a cell tower. Lancashire Police confirmed after speaking to Spain’s Guardia Civil that the body was presumed to be Jay’s.
Investigative journalist and former cop Mark Williams-Thomas has been leading the search for Jay, working with the family to locate the 19-year-old for the last few weeks. He has now revealed chilling details of how multiple people pretended that they were holding Jay hostage - presumably in order to extort his family for a significant sum of money.
Mr Williams-Thomas told the Mirror that he and Jay’s family confirmed the videos did not show Jay “within hours”. But he explained that this work consumed precious time, because each possible new piece of evidence, “needed to be investigated”.
“We have had two videos posted of separate people, meant to be Jay, having been beaten up, one having the words, ’We have your son’, created for publication by someone wanting to give the impression they had Jay held hostage,” Mr Williams-Thomas said. “Within hours we had established these videos were not Jay. And we have had people who have contacted the family to say they have Jay and will give information in exchange for a sum of money.”
The detective also claimed that pranksters and conspiracy theorists were taking up most of their time during the investigation.
He said: "What has taken up the most time has been investigating the many theories and the false information that gathered traction on social media and then subsequently in the media. You will understand that the family lived in hope of every new piece of information that Jay was alive, so they all needed to be investigated.
"We had to investigate the theory that Jay had walked all the way to the coastline to get on a boat, this was thoroughly investigated and ruled out with evidence that proved it could not be true.
It comes as the detective also exclusively confirmed to the Mirror the location where the body was found. “The area where Jay’s body was found was highlighted yesterday afternoon with the search and rescue helicopter in the area, it is around a 20 minutes walk from the pin drop location,” he said.
“The terrain is rough and hazardous, and having now seen the video of the search team on Monday morning, and that the helicopter was in the same area on Sunday afternoon where Jay's body was recovered, it is clear to see just how treacherous and dangerous it is - a slip or loss of footing would prove fatal,” the investigator added to the Mirror.
Mountain rescue experts airlifted a body from a steep ravine near the village of Masca this morning. A video released by Spanish police shows a treacherous area with mountaineers clambering up rocks and through thick shrubbery. The footage also showed a rescuer dangling from a helicopter in the operation to remove the body.
Mr Williams-Thomas reported on his X account at around 1pm today: “Human remains found and all indications are that it is Jay Slater. The first investigations reveal that he could have suffered an accident in the inaccessible area. Family have been updated and formal identification will follow.”
A Civil Guard spokesperson today said: “After 29 constant days of searching the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area. The discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard over these 29 days.
"Everything is pointing to the body being that of the young British man who disappeared on June 17, pending full identification. Initial inquiries are pointing to him having suffered an accident/fall in the area where he was found."
"The large-scale operation involving multiple units had been suspended but as we always said, we never stopped looking for Jay. The mountain rescue group continued looking for the missing man when they were on duty and have now found the remains of a person they believe is him,” the spokesperson concluded. Spanish cops had not shared the exact location where Jay’s body was found before Mr Williams-Thomas revealed it to the Mirror, but it was understood that it was near where his mobile last pinged off a cell tower.
LGB Global, a British overseas missing persons charity, said: "LBT Global is saddened to announce that a body found in Tenerife does look to be that of Jay Slater. It is understood the body was found close to the site of his mobile phone’s last location. Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes. LBT Global are supporting the family at this distressing time and ask for everyone to afford them space and privacy to come to terms with the news."