Missing Brit Jay Slater allegedly stole £12k Rolex watch before Tenerife disappearance

The 19-year-old, who had been holidaying in Tenerife with friends to attend a music festival, remains missing despite extensive search efforts since his disappearance on June 17.

It has now emerged that the Oswaldtwistle teen’s disappearance may be connected to claims that a man had a Rolex stolen on one of the island’s bar strips on the night of Sunday, June 16. British detective Mark Williams-Thomas appears to have confirmed the connection after speaking to “a significant number of witnesses, both in the UK and in Tenerife, including Jay’s friends who are fully engaged with us.”

Williams-Thomas is a seasoned investigator of high-profile missing persons cases and travelled to Tenerife to assist Jay Slater's family in uncovering new information about his disappearance.

In an update posted X he said: “We know that shortly before 6am on Monday the seventh of June, Jay left the area of Veronica Strip in (Playa de) Las Americas in a Seat Leon hire car with two males casually known to him."

He added that Jay and his friends had spent time with these individuals over the previous two days and travelled together to the holiday rental Casa de Abuela Tina, about an hour's drive away​.

On the way to the rental, Jay allegedly posted a Snapchat message claiming he had stolen a £12,000 Rolex. While this claim has not been independently verified, his friends insist he was not lying and discussed the watch in later conversations. Despite an intensive search ending on June 30, the Civil Guard continues to follow leads and tips related to Jay's disappearance​.

Williams-Thomas also noted that Jay contacted three different people after arriving at the rental, with various photos taken, including one showing him holding a cigarette on the cottage's doorstep. He said: “I am confident that the photo on the doorstep is him, wearing a throw from the apartment and black and green Air Max trainers which he had on, on the night he went out.”

The search for Jay Slater ended on Sunday, June 30, after two weeks of intensive efforts in the area where his phone was last detected. According to sources, no significant findings were made. Nonetheless, the Civil Guard has said that they continue to follow up on any leads or tips regarding Jay’s disappearance.

Williams-Thomas also said that Jay appeared to be “scared” and chose not to return to the property to charge his phone or wait for a bus. “We’ve received information that would suggest Jay left the rental property feeling scared," he explained. "He would not return to the rental even though that would have been the most sensible course of action... We continue to investigate this aspect."

Despite uncertainties surrounding the events at the rental, the investigator mentioned that they have ruled out certain possibilities. He said: “We have however ruled out hostage/kidnapping situation because no credible ransom demand has been made and we’ve no evidence at this stage to say there was a third party criminal involvement in Jay’s disappearance."

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Williams-Thomas has also appealed to local landowners to inspect any outbuildings and land they possess, hoping that further volunteer-led searches in unexplored areas will yield new information.