Jay Slater’s uncle makes heartbreaking Madeleine McCann case comparison as he vows family will ‘cling on to hope’
JAY SLATER’S worried uncle has compared the desperate search for his missing nephew to the years-long hunt for Madeleine McCann.
Glen Duncan, 41, spoke to The Sun from the Tenerife mountains as he returned to retrace Jay’s final steps alongside the teen’s dad and brother.
A team of 10 are trawling through the mountains today in unforgiving 25C heat, retracing his steps in the hope of finding a breakthrough.
Glen said: “He’s not been found so you’ve got to cling on.
“I’m sure Madeleine McCann’s parents still cling onto that hope, that she’s somewhere on the other side of the world 20 years later.
“She’s never been found and there’s no proof of whatever has happened to her.”
Jay’s devastated uncle vowed: “We’re still holding onto hope – we have to because we don’t know.
“It’s just torture every day. It’s got to a point now where the sadness has gone and it’s just anger.”
Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 while on holiday with her family in Portugal.
Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, vanished almost 20 days ago on the morning of June 17.
An enormous search was launched with sniffer dogs, police, firefighters and mountain rescue deployed to track down the teen.
His family were devastated when Spanish police called off their daily efforts last Sunday after almost two weeks.
Glen, whose legs were cut by cacti as they led the search today, told how Spanish cops had given little away about their investigation.
He said the family would remain on the island for the foreseeable future.
A GoFundMe set up by Jay’s friend Lucy Mae Law to fund the family’s costs hit £50,000 on Friday night.
Jay’s mum Debbie previously said she would use the money to fund those over there helping in the search.
Spanish cops then confirmed to Jay’s loved ones on Friday that they are allowed to bring in their own search teams to find him.
They has been urged to use some of the GoFundMe money to pay for their own search after they said they felt “left in the dark” by cops.
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, has not been seen since he called Lucy in a panic from the remote mountainous Rural de Teno park on the morning of June 17.
On Thursday, Debbie slammed cruel online trolls for their twisted jibes, conspiracy theories and jokes since Jay vanished on June 17.