Mum goes missing in Tenerife as police bring in dogs for desperate search

A massive search has been launched for an Irish woman missing in Tenerife. Local police are reportedly using dogs in their attempts to find 50-year-old Merlene Davies as concern grows for her wellbeing.

Her family reported her missing after she failed to return to her home in Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the evening of July 7. Deborah Clarke-Topper wrote on the Missing Persons Tenerife Facebook site she runs early this afternoon: “Merlene Davies, 50 years old, an Irish citizen, has been missing from her home in Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, since the 7th July 2025. It is unclear exactly what time she left but was not there as expected in the evening.

“Her family has reported the disappearance to the police, who are conducting a physical search, including with dogs. She is about 1m65 in height and of slim build.”

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Her sister Bronwyn Kloppers added in a separate social media a message: “Please help us to find my sister. She left her home on Tuesday morning, time unknown and has not been seen since. A missing persons case has been opened with authorities and they are currently searching for her.

“She should be in the area of Candelaria, Santa Cruz, Tenerife. Please contact local authorities immediately if she is found.”

She said: “As I understand, last contact with her daughters was on Monday evening. Her one daughter went out with her father on Tuesday morning and upon returning realised that she was not there.”

Well-placed sources said Merlene, thought to be a mum-of-two, could strictly speaking have gone missing anytime between 11pm on Monday and around 8am on Tuesday.

It is not known where in Ireland she is from or how long she has been living in Tenerife. Anyone with any information on Merlene’s whereabouts can email enquiries@missingpersonstenerife.com or call the group on (0034) 822 130 739.

Police on the island have not yet made any official comment.

Tenerife's mountainous interior is no stranger to missing person cases.

Last year the country was captivated by the disappearance of Jay Slater. He was a British 19-year-old went missing following a night out in Tenerife. Friends and family launched a desperate search for him after his disappearance on Monday, June 17 2024. Spanish police confirmed a body was found almost a month later.

The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared after attending the NRG music festival with friends on the Spanish island in June last year. After a major search operation lasting nearly a month, his remains were discovered in steep, rocky terrain near the remote village of Masca.

Investigator Mark Williams-Thomas has revealed new details about the case - including a final chat between Jay and a pal Brandon Hodgson, who was partying with the teenager on the night before he went missing.

The two were messaging and talking on Snapchat video from the Airbnb rental in Masca on the morning that Jay left the secluded building and vanished. Brandon told Mark Williams-Thomas how he called Jay when he decided to walk back to Los Cristianos, where he was originally staying - a distance that would take approximately 10 hours on foot. "He said, 'I've started walking', he was laughing at first, then he sent me his location," said Brandon.

"On the phone he said to me ‘I’ve been walking for half an hour’, I told him to go back and he said, ‘I’ve already been walking for half an hour, I’m not going back, I don’t want to go back, I just want to go home."