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Jay Slater’s “devastated” family have said their “worst fears have been realised” after a body found in the search for the missing British teenager has been confirmed as him.
A Spanish court identified the 19-year-old’s body using fingerprint technology on Tuesday after his remains were discovered near the village of Masca in Tenerife the previous day – almost a month after he went missing from that area while on holiday on the Spanish island.
A spokesman for the Canary Islands High Court of Justice said the post-mortem examination report determined that the multiple injuries he sustained were consistent with an accidental fall in a rocky area.
The CEO of the charity LBT Global, which has been supporting Mr Slater’s family during the ordeal, said he was with the teenager’s mother Debbie Duncan when the “worst news” broke.
Speaking of the Slater family, Matthew Searle told The Independent: “It’s just the worst news they could possibly expect. There’s always that slim hope until confirmation comes that they’ve got it wrong and it’s someone else, but sadly they haven’t got it wrong and their worst fears have been realised.”
He added: “They’re pretty much lost for words – just how devastated they are.”
After flying out to search for her son, Ms Duncan is still in Tenerife along with the 19-year-old’s father, Warren Slater, 58, as well as Jay’s friend Brandon Hodgson, 19.
In a statement issued through the charity, Ms Duncan, 55, said: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
LBT Global previously said the remains were found with Mr Slater’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.
The Spanish Civil Guard said the apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.
Mr Searle said the charity was working with the family to sort out the next steps of taking his body home and the recovery of his belongings, with repatriation of his body expected to happen in the coming days.
He said Mr Slater’s family have found small solace in their belief that he likely died instantly after falling from a significant height.
“Chances are if he did fall from a height where we saw the recovery teams searching, then it’s very unlikely he would have known much about it,” said Mr Searle. “That takes away the horrible nightmare idea that he fell and was waiting for help that never came. It’s very small comfort, but it is some.”
Following the discovery of his body, Mr Slater’s friend Lucy Law, who was the last known person to speak to him during a phone call on 17 June, issued a heartfelt tribute on her Instagram page.
She said: “Honestly lost for words.
“Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was [sic] one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know.
“I’m sure you’ll ‘have your dancing shoes polished and ready’ waiting for us all.
“We all love you buddy. Fly high.”
The Spanish Civil Guard released video footage of rescuers climbing rock faces and battling through scrub as they carried out the search.
Part of the clip showed two members of the search team being winched out of the area by helicopter after the body had been found and recovered.
Mr Slater attended the NRG music festival with two friends, Ms Law and Brad Hargreaves, on 16 June. He then travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after the night out, but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.
The following morning, the teenager appeared to start an 11-hour walk back to his apartment. He was last seen by a cafe owner, who said he asked her about bus times before deciding not to wait the two hours for a service. She then said she saw him leave the village on foot.
The 19-year-old’s last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, where his phone was last detected.
Spanish police said they had called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
The case attracted widespread attention online and drew frenzied speculation, with Ms Duncan condemning the online trolling she suffered amid the already “incredibly difficult” situation she faced.
Mr Searle said: “She’s found it incredibly difficult dealing with this whole situation, but with the additional stress and trauma put on her by the amount of obscene trolling, armchair detectives, so-called experts and specialists – it’s been really hard on her and the family.”
