The young men who go to Tenerife and disappear
'It's something I wouldn't wish on anybody.'
How can someone simply vanish? That’s the question many asked until Jay Slater’s body was found 29 days after he vanished.
The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen walking into the mountains in northwest Tenerife around 8am on Monday, June 17.
It was the opposite direction to Los Cristianos, where he had been staying with friends on his first holiday abroad without his parents.
With a bus stop opposite the Airbnb he’d visited after a rave the night before, and just a two hour wait for the next ride back from Masca, this puzzled his family.
Jay seemed to drop off the face of the earth.
Even sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters failed to find a trace before local police’s mountain rescue unit called off a 12-day search.
Finally, four weeks to the day he disappeared, a body was recovered in the search for Jay Slater on Monday, July 15.
But other young men are still missing in Tenerife, where tourists flock for sunny beaches, rugged mountains and ram-packed party strips.
Some disappeared decades ago.
Billy Bennett
Billy Bennett, from Holborn in London, was just 18 when he disappeared during a holiday in Tenerife on December 1, 1985.
He was supposed to go with a friend who bailed last minute, meaning Billy flew out alone.
Despite this, he became something of a regular on at Playa de Las Américas, a seaside resort of bars and beaches, purpose built in the 1960s.
To this day, it’s a hub for young partygoers like Jay Slater who spent the night dancing at Papagayos, one of many clubs along the Veronica’s Strip.
Nearly 40 years ago, Sergeant Peppers disco pub was the place to be, and it’s where Billy spent much of his time.
As the days wore on, Billy’s funds ran out and he found himself with nowhere to stay.
By the time his friend flew out with his girlfriend to join him, the 18-year-old was looking ‘worse for wear’.
They only saw each other a couple of times before Billy vanished.
His location remains unknown.
Ricky D’Cotta
Less than two years later, in October 1987, fellow Londoner Ricky D’Cotta, who worked at Sergeant Peppers, called his family for the last time.
The 23-year-old’s passport and bag were handed to police soon after he was declared missing.
Despite searches, appeals and claimed sightings in both Tenerife and London, Ricky has never been found.
His best friend claimed he was murdered after a botched plan to rob a local drugs baron on the island, where Ricky had been since that March.
It was suspected he may have been one of five bodies police found, by DNA testing with his family’s samples proved inconclusive.
Kevin Ainley
In an eerie parallel, another young man from Lancashire disappeared in June during the Euros – but it was 20 years ago.
Kevin Ainley, 24, was last seen walking toward Playa de las Americas’ Sportsman bar, where he worked as a promoter, in June 2004.
The next day he didn’t show up for work. His passport and belongings were still in his apartment.
But Kevin was never found, even with the help of Lancashire police officers who travelled there.
In 2016, his sister, Gemma Brooke, said: ‘It is no exaggeration to say we have been put through 12 years of hell.
‘Somebody must know something.’
Peter Wilson
It took two years to find the body of Peter Wilson, 34, after he fell down a steep drop beside a shopping mall in Playa de las Americas in March 2019.
The dad-of-two from Dublin, Ireland, had last been seen near where a taxi dropped him off at the resort.
With his belongings still in his hotel room, and no further sightings, it was feared he’d fallen victim to kidnap or murder, much like conspiracy theories around Jay Slater suggest.
A Facebook group launched by his family, who frequently visited the island, led to no clues. Eventually though, his body was found.
Jacky Wilson, his mother, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: ‘He obviously got disoriented and lost his way.’
Ben Garland
These disappearances aren’t limited to Tenerife.
‘It’s the not knowing, it’s a never-ending nightmare, it’s torture, absolute torture, Mark Garland told Sky News.
His son Ben went missing after riding his motorbike to film waves in the north of Ibiza, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, in January 2020.
Ben’s jacket was found in the water three days later, but despite police finding 20 bodies in the water during the search, Ben wasn’t among them.
Mark said: ‘It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anybody.
‘Jay’s parents will be feeling empty, they’re going to be tired. They will be confused, they will just be wanting answers.
‘It’s such a traumatic experience.’
Ryan Cooney
Despite police calling off their active search for Jay Slater, there is still hope he could be found alive.
Ryan Cooney, a 28-year-old from Ireland, vanished after he was allegedly attacked and robbed of his phone and money while on holiday in Tenerife last November.
He had last been seen at an apartment complex in Playa de las Americas, but the only trace of him was his passport in the possession of police.
After several days of desperate appeals, and the arrival of his family in Tenerife, Ryan reappeared.
His friend James Burke said: ‘Words can’t describe how I’m feeling right now. This is unreal, this doesn’t happen. I’m so happy.
‘Thank you so much to everyone, my best mate is found safe, he’s coming home.’
This article was first published on June 30, 2024
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