Jay Slater's 'best chance of survival’ revealed by ex-cop who hunted Moat (2024)

A FORMER top cop who tracked down killer Raoul Moat believes the search for Jay Slater in Tenerife is likely now "a recovery operation".

But Sue Sim, ex-chief constable of Northumbria Police, said the teen's best chance of survival would be if a local had taken him into their care.

But Sim said it would be "very surprising" if that was the case as they would have unlikely kept him this long.

Jay, 19, vanished 11 days ago in the mountainous terrain of the island's north after spending all night at a rave.

She told the Sky News Daily podcast: "They [Jay's family] will be hoping that somebody has taken him in.

"As I've stressed before, this is a very very remote area of Tenerife, and not everybody has television, not everybody has radio.

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"It would, however, be very very surprising if he'd been kept away for a week so the chances are that this is now, unfortunately, a recovery operation. I must stress that the Guardia Civil have not said that."

Sim added: "They are trying their best to find him, but seven days without water, which he said he had no water, without the appropriate clothing, that is a very very long time to be alone in that sort of terrain."

Jay was last known to be in the remote Teno Rural Park when he made a final frantic call to friend Lucy at around 8.50am on June 17.

He told her he was lost in the "middle of nowhere" with no water and had just oneper cent battery on his phone.

An hour and 20 minutes before that, he shared a last Snapchat of a hand holding a cigarette.

The snap was taken at an Airbnb near Masca village two British men had hired and taken Jay to after meeting him that night.

It is understood Jay missed the bus back to his accommodation and was facing an 11-hour walk back.

After Jay was reported missing last Monday morning, investigators launched a huge rescue operation involving drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs.

Rescue crews have been focusing their effortson the 2,000ft Mascaravinein the north, where his phone last pinged a nearby cell tower.

Earlier this week, cops in Tenerife drafted in reinforcements from Madrid - includingspecialist sniffer dogsadept at searching vast areas.

Sim has warned against wannabe sleuths attempting to join the search.

It comes as...

• Jay's mumDebbie withdrawing GoFundMe cash to fly supportersout to Tenerife
• Jay wasattacked by gang when he was just 12
• New pics of Jay emerge at a pool partytwo days before he vanished
• Copsquiz locals who 'saw Jay watching Euros'
• Investigator revealsdescriptions of two men who partiedwith teen
• Crews scour exactspot where mystery 'grainy figure' was seen
• Tenerife copsplan TV appeal as they hunt for clues
• Pals blast conspiracy theoristsand TikTok sleuths
• Jay'smum says she's 'barely slept'

The ex-cop led the manhunt for murderer Raoul Moat back in 2010 after he shot and injured his girlfriend and killed her new partner.

Moat, 37, was tracked down and blinded a police officer before turning the gun on himself following a six-hour stand-off.

Sim said: "I would appeal for people not to do that [join the search].

"The issue is, the Guardia Civil and the mountain rescue team and the people that they have got involved are all trained in this area of work.

"To actually go along as a slightly upgraded armchair detective is not going to help Jay.

"If, as I repeat, if you have any intelligence, any information at all, phone your local police, who will get it out to the Guardia Civil."

It comes as idiot TikTok influencers jet to Tenerife in a bid to join the search for Jay.

Mindless wannabe sleuths have also taken it upon themselves to attempt to investigate Jay's disappearance.

Sat behind their computers 2,000 miles away in the UK, internet trolls are peddling wild conspiracy theories and baseless claims.

Many are using Google maps to scour thedesolate Rural de Teno parkto hunt for clues before plastering their wild thoughts over social media.

Thousands of keyboard bashers have joined pathetic Facebook groups, including one called Jay Slater Discussions and Theories.

Within the publicly visible groups are dozens of cruel, senseless posts spewing completely unfounded claims and vile comments.

Most are posted anonymously or by trolls using spurious names.

And some TikTok influencers have taken it upon themselves to fly to the island to film themselves hunting for Jay for bizarre vanity projects.

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Armed with their cameras and hiking boots, they have recorded themselves trekking through the mountainous scrubland Jay was last known to be in.

Among them are British TikTok vloggers Andrew Knight and Paul Arnott, who have been sharing clips with the legions of followers.