Jay Slater search update as Spanish police insist there is 'no evidence of criminality'

Family members have been handed the sunglasses after they were found by an army expat named only as Chris, who lives on the Spanish holiday island, reports the Daily Mail.

The discovery was made after Spanish police announced they were calling off their search on Sunday, two weeks after the 19-year-old disappeared.

TikTok star and expert climber Paul Arnott, 29, has been searching for Jay in the Tenerife mountains. In one of his latest videos, he said a pair of sunglasses similar to the ones Jay was last seen wearing had been found close to where his mobile phone last pinged.

The video, which has since been deleted, shows a pair of broken black shades on the ground near to the Mirador viewing point, the area where Jay’s phone was last tracked 14 days ago in the Rural de Teno park, near the village of Masca.

A picture of Jay, reportedly taken the day before he went missing, appears to show the 19-year-old wearing a similar pair of sunglasses.

“There have been some new developments and these sunglasses could be key,” Paul told MailOnline.

“They were found by an army guy called Chris who lives here. I don't want to go into too much detail yet but the family have them and are looking at them.

“They could be Jay's, they are very similar to ones he has and we are waiting to see. It could be very significant.”

The alleged discovery comes 14 days after Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, disappeared on the island on Monday, June 17.

He was last heard from around 8.15am when he phoned friend Lucy Law and told her he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey expected to take around 11 hours on foot. He had stayed the night at a holiday rental with two men he met the night before.

He said he was lost in the mountains, needed a drink of water and had only 1% battery on his phone. He has not been seen or heard from since.

No evidence of a crime, say Spanish police

Spanish authorities say there is 'no current evidence of criminality' in the disappearance of Jay Slater, with the Civil Guard saying the investigation remains a ‘missing persons case’.

“Nothing at this stage points to Jay being the victim of a crime”, said the agency which has so far failed to find any leads in the teenager’s disappearance.

According to the Daily Mail, a judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity as is normal in Spain, said: “There is no evidence of criminality at this stage in this case.

“That's not to say things won't change because the case remains open and investigations are ongoing. But right now that's the situation.”

Another said: “This missing persons' case has been judicialised as is normal in Spain and it's been lodged at Court of Instruction Number One in Icod de los Vinos.

“The Civil Guard don't have to tell the judge about everything officers are doing but will be keeping her updated on case progress and of course update her on any significant developments.”