The father of missing teen Jay Slater says he is "baffled" by his son's disappearance. Warren Slater spoke after searching the ravine where the apprentice bricklayer's phone last pinged - over two weeks ago.
After spending two hours today hiking through the area where Jay's phone was last active, the 58-year-old asked: "Why did two grown men take a young boy to a valley to a bed and breakfast?
"You just don't disappear. It's just ridiculous that somebody can just disappear. He's a young boy, he's fit. He's fitter than us all put together. He's played football all his life, he's fit as a flea. You just don't disappear. I don't know... it's just a mystery... it's baffling.
"My only question is, and this is where you start the investigation from. Why did two grown men take a young boy to a valley to a bed and breakfast? I can't understand that. Why? Why? You need to ask them why and then start from there.
"Spanish police must know. It is frustrating. It's the language barrier and you can't get mad at Spanish police because they don't like it. I've gone past the sadness bit and I'm angry, if that makes any sense. I'm angry that nothing's happened.
"If I left you here and then you just disappeared, do you not think police would be on my case?". The Mirror reports that a clearly emotional Warren spoke just hours after it was claimed Jay was scared when he vanished.
He disappeared after leaving the remote holiday rental in Masca, 20 miles from his accommodation, and allegedly told pals he couldn't return to it.
Spanish police have said the two British men, who are both understood to have been spoken to by officers before leaving the island, have no relevance to the missing persons investigation.
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Speaking with his older son Zak, 24, and one of Jay's uncles by his side, Warren looked out onto the vast gorge below him as he said: "We've been all the way down. We've walked as far as you can until it's too dangerous. All I'm doing is a Colombo bit myself.
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"I mean he might be on here, you never know, but as a dad I don't want him to be." Warren had previously said he did not think it was a good idea for the family to search in the ravine themselves due to "how dangerous it is".
But with the official search now over, he and his family feel they have no choice but to hike through the treacherous terrain themselves. He yesterday suffered cuts to both his arms and legs from walking.
He said: "This is where his phone last pinged. This was the valley and I've come to the point of no return. We followed the path all the way down the valley. If I had mountain boots on and some ropes I would go for it, but I can't do it in Adidas sandals."
However, pointing to a large mountain peak in the distance, he added: "If someone told me 'he's up that hill and you'll find him', I'd climb that f****** hill and find him."
Asked if the family still plan to stay in Tenerife until Jay is found, he admitted: "I know his mum wants to, maybe his brother wants to, but you can't stay forever. His mum is saying 'he's not been found, I'm not leaving this island'.
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"But it's hard, it's so f*****g hard. There's not a straight line to follow." Asked about the police investigation, Warren said: "The police here are doing their own investigations. They're not really telling us anything, they're not telling you lot anything, we're in the dark.
"They know best. Do you think they should be still searching? If it was in England I'd be making a stink, but we're in a foreign country and we've just got to leave it to people who know best."
Asked if he thinks Jay may have been heading towards the sea, which was visible in the distance, he said: "Maybe". He added: "I've done this trail now twice. Every step I've took there's been an opening. If you land on one of those cactus' you're not moving.
"Surely somebody's gonna find you after two weeks." Speaking about the area below him, he said: "It's hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff. You can't explain this to somebody unless they see it.
"You can take a photograph or film it, but until you're here...". Warren spoke out after the former British police detective working for the family alleged Jay had been scared when he left the holiday rental where he was last seen.
Jay, 19, said he couldn't go back to the Airbnb he had been to, which two Spanish police officers were seen examining while wearing forensic style blue slip-ons over their shoes on Tuesday morning.
Jay had travelled there with two older British men before his disappearance and was last seen leaving the white-washed home, named Casa Abuela Tina, at around 8am on June 17.
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