Jay Slater was so unwell at rave I had to give him water before he vanished, says waitress who was among last to see him
A WAITRESS working at the club Jay Slater partied at hours before vanishing says he looked so unwell she gave him water for free.
Jay, 19, was seen on video appearing to stagger back to his feet after falling over at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife.
Now a hostess at the notorious party venue has told how she saw the apprentice bricklayer looking unsteady on his feet in the early hours of June 17.
She told The Sun: “I remembered Jay, because he was unstable on his feet.
“I gave him some water for free as he didn’t look well.”
Ravers are usually charged three euros for water at the club, which sits on Tenerife’s infamous party strip crammed with tourists.
Bombshell footage previously revealed by The Sun showed several lads turning their heads on the packed dance floor towards Jay, who appeared to be on the ground.
He was then seen standing up with his shirt hanging around his neck, seemingly unsteady on his feet.
The waitress, who would have been among the last to see Jay before he disappeared on the morning of June 17, said she was upset when she realised he was missing.
She added: “I remembered him, my boyfriend called me in the morning and said he was missing.
“I recognised his picture straight away.
“I feel so sad, it feels very close to home as I am his age as well.
“I feel so much for his family.”
After raving into the early hours as part of the three-day hard dance NRG music festival, Jay travelled in a hire car with two British men to their Airbnb in Masca – around an hour away.
He shared a final Snapchat from the steps of the remote holiday let at 7.30am, showing a cigarette in his hand.
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was told there was no bus for two hours after he left, so started trekking the 11-hour walk back to his holiday accommodation.
He made a final call to friend Lucy Law, who he was on holiday with, at 8.50am to say he was lost, needed water, and only had one per cent phone battery.
Jay’s phone pinged a tower in the unforgiving Masca ravine shortly after before it lost charge.
He has not been seen or heard from since, with an extensive almost two week long search uncovering no trace of him.
But former cop Mark Williams-Thomas said Jay left the Airbnb “feeling scared” and refused to return when pals encouraged him to so he could charge his phone.
Mark, who has unofficially probing the case, revealed: “We know now that Jay took certain actions while at the rental because he was clearly worried about his own safety.
“This was shortly before he decided to leave.
“In the last few days, I have received a significant new piece of information which I’ve shared with both the British and Spanish police.
“This provides some clarity as to why Jay left in a hurry and did not want to return to the rental even though his phone was about to go flat.”
Cops do not so far believe there to be any criminality involved in Jay’s disappearance – but are keeping an open mind.
Spanish police axed the official almost two weeks ago but are continuing to probe new information or tip-offs.
They have not deemed Jay as “missing presumed dead”.
It comes as Jay’s desperate family tries to secure a permanent base in Tenerife after vowing to remain on the island “indefinitely”.
Dad Warren Slater and mum Debbie Duncan were left “blindsided” when Spanish cops abruptly ditched the search for Jay.
But they insisted they would keep up the hunt themselves alongside a small group of volunteers until they get some answers.
His family, including older brother Zak, 24, frantically jetted to the island after hearing Jay had vanished on June 17.
They have been staying at a hotel – but The Sun can reveal they are now looking for a more permanent place to coordinate their efforts.
A family source told The Sun: “Jay’s parents have no intention of leaving Tenerife until they know what’s happened to their son.
“They are going through hell each day, but they feel that at least by being in Tenerife they can make a tangible effort.
“Their biggest fear is going home and that Jay is suddenly forgotten about, and just becomes another missing person statistic.
“That’s why they are looking at finding somewhere they can be based, in the long-term to co-ordinate the search and to work from.”