TV detective explains 'real reason' Jay Slater ‘wouldn’t wait for lift back’ from AirBnB to where he was staying
TV detective Mark Williams-Thomas has revealed that Jay Slater, who mysteriously disappeared in Tenerife, left the Airbnb he was staying at because he was reportedly 'hungry'. The 19 year old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was driven to the rental property in Masca by Ayub Qassim, 31, also known as 'Johnny Vegas', and another unidentified man.
Ayub insists that Jay, an apprentice bricklayer, was alive when he left the Airbnb after a post-music festival party. Jay went missing on 17 June after deciding to walk back to his accommodation in Los Cristianos, a journey that takes approximately 11 hours on foot. It's thought that he missed his bus and chose to make the trek instead.
Despite extensive searches involving helicopters, drones, and search dogs, the Guardia Civil in Tenerife have called off their search for the teenager.
Mr Williams-Thomas, who is conducting his own independent investigation separate from the official police response, spoke to MailOnline about his conversation with Mr Qassim. He alleges that Ayub told him he offered to drive Jay back the morning after the party in Playa de las Americas.
Unveiling the 'real reason' Mr Slater reportedly declined a lift, the ex-Met Police detective shared: "Qassim said to him "Chill, mate, I'll drop you off later, when I wake up," but he said Jay said, "Nah, I need some scran, I'm hungry'."
Jay is said to have informed Ayub that a woman had advised him buses to Los Cristianos ran every 10 minutes. However, Mr Qassim allegedly responded that there was no bus and told him, "Do what you like", before returning to sleep.
Mr Williams-Thomas recalled that Ayub remembered receiving a call from one of Jay's friends, claiming Jay was found in a ditch having been "bitten by a cactus".
The investigator noted that Ayub kept quiet about the identity of the second man who accompanied Jay to Masca and remained tight-lipped regarding the supposed theft of a Rolex watch, which some speculate might be connected to Jay vanishing.
It's reported that Jay's holiday accommodation was merely a stone's throw from the club hosting the music festival afterparty. The teen's family are reportedly eager for Spanish authorities to use drones and additional tech in Rural de Teno park, where his phone signal last pinged.
A confidant disclosed to the Sun: "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."
