The British teenager has not been seen since June 17, when, after missing the bus back to his accommodation in Tenerife, he decided to walk back instead.
A walk of between ten and eleven hours in mountainous terrain.
At a quarter past eight in the morning, he called a friend and said he planned to walk, that he was thirsty, that he only had one percent of the battery left in his phone, and that he did not know where he was.
Search ended after mass effort
Spanish authorities have since been searching for him with tracking dogs, drones and helicopters.
On Saturday, the search effort culminated in what was described as a mass effort, but to no avail and the search is over, although the case is not.
“We are a very close family and we are completely devastated,” says the 19-year-old’s mother in a statement reproduced in Britain’s The Guardian.
“Words cannot describe the pain we all feel. He is our wonderful boy and he has his whole life ahead of him. We just want to find him.”
“Disgusting theories”
The case has received a lot of attention in the British media, and on social media conspiracy theorists are wildly speculating about everything from him being kidnapped by the mafia to it all being a big hoax to make money through the big fundraiser set up.
The official Facebook group where people can help with tips has over 600,000 members, while a discussion group where the theories and jokes are thick with almost 290,000 members.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and certain websites, and can only describe them as disgusting,” his mother said in the statement.
“We want to acknowledge all the love and support we have received from people all over the world. It has not gone unnoticed, and especially not in his home town of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire.”
The 19-year-old traveled to Tenerife for a music festival. It must have been the first time he traveled abroad without his parents.