This Morning slammed over latest Jay Slater move - as TV star joins search in Tenerife
This Morning has been slammed by viewers after one of its stars flew to Tenerife to join the search for missing British teen Jay Slater.
Crime journalist Isla Traquair, a regular on the daytime telly show, was seen on Thursday, 27 June, reporting live from the spot near where Jay, 19, went missing 13 days ago on the Spanish island.
On Wednesday's show, Isla had suggested that Jay could have taken a shortcut through hilly undergrowth in an attempt to navigate his way home from a winding mountain road more swiftly. She came under fire for joining the speculation over what might have happened to apprentice bricklayer Jay.
Her new report, live from Tenerife, included footage of the Airbnb where apprentice bricklayer Jay was last seen, as well as the road he is thought to have walked along after deciding not to wait for a bus on the morning he went missing.
Isla told presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, back in the studio, that she had hoped to join the search in a bid to find out what had happened to Jay.
"Jay's family are all out in Tenerife and I have been speaking with his mother, Debbie, and his father, Warren and they are obviously extremely distressed," said Isla.
"What's made this worse, as we've discussed on the show over the past couple of days, is all the speculation online. However, they do believe there is a possibility he could have been picked up, they don't want to believe he has possibly just got lost in these hills."
Jay went missing after attending a three-day music festival with his mates, Lucy and Brad, in Tenerife. After the event, he left with two men he'd met during a night out.
However viewers were left fuming over the latest move, suggesting it was only adding fuel to the fire.
On X, formerly Twitter, one person said: "Isla now doing exactly what she scolded everyone else for? But she’s worse and taken in 5000 steps further."
Another added: ""Hold on, yesterday TikTok people going to Tenerife were getting in the way but it’s okay to send yet another reporter there?"
A third commented: "Yesterday on #thismorning Isla Tarquair slams amateur sleuths for heading out to the location where #jayslater went missing in Tenerife, interfering & hampering police efforts. Today, Isla is in Tenerife & goes to location Jay Slater where went missing. ??"
Despite a massive search operation involving helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs, he is still missing and was last seen in a rural spot near Masca village where he went back with the men to their Airbnb.
His mate, Lucy Mae Law, said the last time she heard from him was on the morning he vanished, Monday, June 17. He reportedly rang her, saying he was disoriented, needed water, and mentioned that his phone was down to its last 1% charge.
