The father of missing teenager Jay Slater made a heart-wrenching visit to the search site last night, tearfully pleading: “I just want the boy back”.
Warren Slater, 58, was accompanied by Jay’s brother Zak at the location in Masca, close to where the apprentice bricklayer vanished after 8am on Monday. With police and mountain rescue teams entering their sixth day of searching, Warren and Zak, joined by nine of Jay’s friends, gathered for support.
It marked the first time Jay’s family had been able to face the search area. In a poignant moment, Warren and Zak, 24, embraced each other while overlooking the ongoing efforts.
Read more: Jay Slater latest: 6 key things we know about disappearance – and 4 big unanswered questions
Emotions ran high as the two were also seen weeping outside the holiday rental from which Jay disappeared, reports the Mirror. Jay’s mother Debbie, 55, who is separated from Warren, found herself too overwhelmed to attend.
Debbie shared her anguish: “I’m just exhausted. I’m still hopeful. I’m not feeling negative just yet. I know it’s five days.”
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She continued, expressing her inability to be at the scene: “It’s not just that they’ve said absolutely not. I don’t know what it’s been like today because I’ve been advised to stay away because I would just break down.”
Reflecting on the possibility of Jay being nearby, she added: “My boy might be just up there somewhere. We’re all devastated. He’s just a normal boy from a little town in Lancashire. These things don’t happen.”
(Image: Instagram)
Debbie, maintaining contact with her son during his Tenerife trip, recalled: “I was in touch with him while he is in Tenerife. He was just holidaying away, he’d saved up and was looking forward to it.”
The strain of the situation is evident as she confessed: “I’ve not slept for five days. My brain isn’t functioning well and I’m tired and exhausted.”
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