The ravine where Jay Slater vanished is barren and daunting, but 'eerie signs of life' have been spotted.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, 19, disappeared on June 17 in the remote Rural de Teno area of Tenerife while holidaying for a three-day music festival with friends. The teen left his pals to travel to a quiet Airbnb with two other partygoers in the early hours of the Monday and attempted to walk back to his accommodation that morning.
Jay began the treacherous 11-hour trek on foot and called a friend to tell her that his phone was on one percent battery, he was thirsty and had cut his leg on a cactus. His phone last 'pinged' somewhere in the mountainous region near the village of Masca, where Spanish police focused their search before officially calling it off last Sunday.
Jay's loved ones have continued to search with the aid of a former British detective, while reporters have shared their experiences of the "unforgiving" terrain. Writing for MailOnline, journalist Fred Kelly said: "Sharp-needled cacti grow higher than a man's head and there's no sound other than the noise of geckos scuttling in the undergrowth and the distant howl of the wind above the ravine."
Revealing old haunting signs of human life, he continued: "In a sinister twist, the Mail found eerie signs of life in one of two ruined homesteads in the ravine: shoelaces tied with twigs to form haunting symbols like something out of a horror film, empty water bottles, and - most strange of all - a set of clean women's clothes."
TikTok influencer and amateur climber Paul Arnott, who has been searching for Jay in Tenerife, said he found a new clue on Monday. The 29-year-old, who has been backed by Jay's heartbroken mum Debbie and is in regular contact with the family, suggested that a pair of broken sunglasses, which resemble those Jay had previously been seen wearing, could be a clue.
Mr Arnott said on TikTok: "Moving forward a lot of new things have come out due to interviews. There are quite a few things I'm gonna chase up today as well. One is a three-word GPS. The other, apart from that, is a pair of sunglasses that were found by a man called Chris, who I'll be meeting up with later today."
Jay's dad Warren 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". He said: "These are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous", adding: "It's tough, it's hard." But after the Civil Guard called off their active search, the family have trekked to try and find him.
Warren said on Wednesday: "We've been all the way down. We've walked as far as you can until it's too dangerous." He continued: "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."