Danny RiggPublished June 30, 2024 at 7:06 PM | Updated June 30, 2024 at 7:15 PM
Billy Bennett, Peter Wilson, Kevin Ainley and Rick Docotta are some of the men believed to be missing in Tenerife (Photo: Missing Persons Unit/Police/Lancashire Police/Dore Network)
How can someone just disappear? That's the question many have been asking since Jay Slater disappeared in Tenerife two weeks ago.
The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen walking into the mountains in the north-east of the island, away from where he had intended to go.
Local police mountain rescue teams searched for the remains for two weeks using sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters but called off the search today after finding no trace of the body.
“A massive search yesterday turned up nothing relevant,” one senior source said.
But Jay's family aren't giving up hope and have promised to “keep looking for him.”
The mystery has spurred conspiracy theories surrounding the fate of a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer who went missing after attending a rave afterparty.
But Jay is not the only young person to have disappeared on Tenerife, an island that attracts tourists for its sunny beaches, rugged mountains and packed party venues.
Some have been missing for decades.
Billy Bennett
Billy Bennett's friends cancelled the trip at the last minute but joined him later in Tenerife (Photo: Missing People)
Billy Bennett, from Holborn, London, was just 18 when he went missing while on holiday in Tenerife on December 1st 1985.
Billy was known to frequent the Las Americas resort and Sgt. Pepper's nightclub, and he reportedly appeared “extremely exhausted” when friends flew in to join him.
He was broke, had no place to stay, and disappeared. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Ricky Docotta
Ricky Doe's friends suspect he was murdered (Photo: Doe Network)
Less than two years later, in October 1987, Ricky D'Cotta, a Londoner who worked for Sgt. Pepper's, made his final phone call to his family.
The 23-year-old man's passport and bag were handed over to police shortly after he was announced missing.
Despite searches, appeals and reported sightings in both Tenerife and London, Ricky is yet to be found.
Ricky's best friend claimed that he was killed during a botched plan to rob a local drug lord on the island where he had been staying since March of that year.
It was suspected that he may have been one of five bodies found by police after DNA tests on samples from family members were inconclusive.
Kevin Ainley
Kevin Ainley's sister Gemma said: “We have lived through 12 years of hell.” (Picture: Lancashire Police)
In an eerie similarity, another young man from Lancashire disappeared in June during the Euros – 20 years ago.
Kevin Ainley, 24, was last seen in June 2004 walking to the Sportsman Bar in Playa de las Americas, where he worked as a promoter.
The next day, he didn't show up to work, his passport and belongings still in the apartment.
However, despite help from Lancashire Police officers who attended the scene, Kevin was never found.
In 2016, his sister, Gemma Brook, said: “It's no exaggeration to say we've lived through 12 years of hell.”
“Someone must know something.”
Peter Wilson
Peter Wilson's disappearance bears striking similarities to that of Jay Slater (Photo: Garda Siocana)
Peter Wilson, 34, fell down a steep slope next to a shopping mall in Playa de las Americas in March 2019, and it took two years for his body to be found.
The father of two, from Dublin, Ireland, was last seen near where he got out of a taxi at the resort.
His belongings were still in his hotel room and he has not been seen since, raising concerns that he may have been the victim of abduction or murder, as suggested by conspiracy theories surrounding Jay Slater.
A Facebook group set up by his family, who were frequent visitors to the island, provided no clues, but his body was eventually found.
“He was clearly disoriented and lost,” his mother, Jackie Wilson, told the Irish Sunday Mirror.
Ben Garland
These disappearances are not unique to Tenerife.
“It's a never-ending nightmare, it's torture, it's just torture,” Mark Garland told Sky News.
His son, Ben, went missing in January 2020 after riding his motorbike to photograph the waves north of Ibiza, one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ben's jacket was found in the water three days later, but although police found 20 bodies in the water during the search, Ben was not among them.
“I wouldn't wish that on anyone,” Mark said.
“Jay's parents will be feeling empty and tired. They will be confused and just wanting answers.”
“It's a really traumatic experience.”
Ryan Cooney
Ryan Cooney, from Meath, Ireland, has been found alive after going missing in Tenerife.
Police have called off the search for Jay Slater, but there is still a chance he may be found alive.
Ryan Cooney, 28, from Ireland, is alleged to have disappeared after being attacked while on holiday in Tenerife in November last year and robbed of his phone and cash.
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He had last been seen in an apartment in Playa de las Americas, but the only trace of him was his passport, which police had in their possession.
After several days of desperate appeals and the family's arrival in Tenerife, Ryan resurfaced.
“Words can't describe how I feel right now. I can't believe it. This never happens. I'm so happy,” said his friend James Burke.
“Thank you all so much. My best friend has been found safe and is coming home.”
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