Jay Slater disappeared in Tenerife while holidaying with friends and was traced to a rural area in the mountains, as Spanish authorities sadly confirmed a body had been found in the search for the 19-year-old
Human remains have been found in the search for British teenager Jay Slater who disappeared on holiday in Tenerife, Spanish authorities have confirmed.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said today: “After 29 constant days of searching the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area. The discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard over these 29 days.
“Everything is pointing to the body being that of the young British man who disappeared on June 17, pending full identification. Initial inquiries are pointing to him having suffered an accident/fall in the area where he was found.”
Authorities issued the major update bringing an end to the search for the missing 19-year-old who vanished on Monday, June 17. Jay, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, had been on the island with two friends for a three-day music festival.
The three pals were out on the Sunday night before before Jay seperated from the group, leaving a rave by car with two British men he had befriended on a bar strip. The teen travelled back with them to an Airbnb in the middle of a rural village, where he stayed the night.
Jay vanished on the morning of Monday, June 17 as he attempted to make his way back to the tourist town of Los Christianos, where he was staying with his friends Lucy and Brad. He was last heard from on the Monday morning when he phoned his friend Lucy Mae Law to say he was attempting to make the 11-hour walk back to their accommodation.
He also told Lucy, 18, he he was disoriented, needed water, and that his phone was only one percent charged. The missing persons report sparked a huge manhunt, which saw the likes of investigator Mark Williams-Thomas and TikTok mountaineering expert Paul Arnott head to Tenerife.
After no luck, Spanish police announced they would be ending their search for Jay after almost two weeks of looking, but said the investigation into his disappearance was still ongoing. A Civil Guard spokeswoman said: “The search operation has now finished although the case remains open."
Despite official searches ending, Jay’s family and groups of volunteers continued scouring the treacherous rural village in hopes to find him.
The youngster’s mum Debbie Duncan and brother Zak also flew out to Tenerife after being alerted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. They were later joined by Jay’s dad Warren Slater, who said his son’s sudden disappearance "doesn’t make sense".
A GoFundMe page set up to help the search for Jay meanwhile raised funds in excess of £50,000, which Debbie said would be used to fund the mountain rescue teams and the family’s extended stay on the island.
Debbie, 55, said she was in a "living nightmare" while searching for her son, as other loved ones were forced to defend them from cruel trolls offering unhelpful and sometimes malicious theories and speculation.
Emergency workers widened their search for the teenager after his phone data showed his last known location near Masca. This included a ravine around 100 metres below the rental property where Jay was last seen, as well as in mountains between Masca and San Jose, and Masca and Las Portelas.
Speaking to Sky News in the first week of the search, Debbie said: "As a family we are in a living nightmare. We have no further updates other than Jay is still missing and we are just ignoring the social media side of things."
Search and rescue teams near the last known location of Jay Slater ( Image: PA)
The investigation also saw numerous reported sightings of Jay, including claims the teen was seen in a bar in Tenerife watching the Euros.
Authorities issued an appeal on Friday, June 28, calling for expert volunteers to help in their biggest search so far. Despite efforts, just six volunteers showed up on the Saturday, as officers told reporters they had ruled out the two men Jay was last seen with from the investigation.
Addressing reporters at Mirador La Cruz de Hilda, one of the focal points for the search, the Civil Guard spoke of the difficulties officers have faced while trying to find Jay. "We know to a certain science that he was here because the coverage of his phone its undeniable that he was around this point. And that’s where we have difficulties, because once you turn off your phone, it can no longer be traced," they said.
It later emerged that the apprentice bricklayer had bragged on Snapchat about allegedly stealing a £12,000 Rolex just hours before he went missing. Detective Mark Williams-Thomas revealed Jay had allegedly posted the video hours before he vanished.
Jay’s dad Warren Slater, 58, and brother Zak Slater, 24, in Masca, Tenerife ( Image: Simon Ashton)
Mr Williams-Thomas claimed: "On route Jay posted a Snapchat saying that they had taken a £12,000 Rolex from a person. We have been unable to validate this in terms of a reported theft. However, friends of Jay he would not make this up and the watch was the subject of a later conversation between them."
Three weeks into the teenager’s disappearance, his family were seen searching the harsh terrain in and around Masca as they returned to a treacherous gorge in hopes of finding him.
Jay’s dad Warren, 58, older brother Zak, 24, and uncle Glen Duncan, 41, were among a group of nine family members who said they were not giving up on looking for the 19-year-old, despite Spanish police officially ending their search on June 30.
Mr Duncan said his nephew Jay is a "typical, normal 19-year-old lad" who was family-oriented with a large circle of male and female friends. He said: "He’s just a typical great young lad with a massive circle of friends and was looking forward to coming here."
Asked how the family were coping, he said: "It’s just torture."
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