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Jay Slater missing in Tenerife: Live updates as search teams discover body believed to be missing 19-year-old

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A body has been found in the search for missing Lancashire teenager Jay Slater, who vanished on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife last month.

While formal identification has not yet taken place, the remains were found with the 19-year-old’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.

Members of a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard discovered the body near the village of Masca today.

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“We are saddened to announce that a body found in Tenerife does look to be that of Jay Slater,” announced LBT Global, a charity which supports the families of British people missing overseas.

A spokesperson for the group said: “It is understood the body was found close to the site of his mobile phone’s last location.

“Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes.

“A post-mortem examination and forensic enquiries will follow.

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“LBT Global are supporting the family at this distressing time and ask for everyone to afford them space and privacy to come to terms with the news.”

LEP

Tenerife’s Guardia Civil said on Monday that officers are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to confirm that Mr Slater died as a result of an accident.

The force added that Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where his remains were discovered.

The 19-year-old had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance on June 17, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

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He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca rented by two men he met on a night out, but the pair were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.

His family endured conspiracy theories and “awful comments” posted online during the search for the apprentice bricklayer, while supporters raised £50,000 to help fund the hunt for the teenager.

Spanish police called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs failed to find him.

But in its statement on Monday, the force said teams had never stopped searching for the missing teenager.

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“The discovery was possible thanks to the incessant and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard during these 29 days, in which the natural space was preserved so that it would not be filled with onlookers,” its statement read.

You can find the latest updates on the investigation into Jay Slater’s disappearance in our live blog...

LIVE: Body found in search for missing Jay Slater, 19, in Tenerife

Key Events

I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy, our hearts are broken

The mother of missing British teenager Jay Slater said “our hearts are broken” after a Spanish court confirmed his multiple injuries were consistent with a fall in a rocky area.

The Canary Islands High Court of Justice confirmed the identity of the body with the use of fingerprint technology after the remains were found near the village of Masca on Monday.

A spokesman for the court said the post-mortem examination report determined that the injuries he sustained were compatible with an accidental fall.

In a statement issued through charity LBT Global, Mr Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan said: “I just can’t believe it – we’re here with the embassy staff waiting for an update and now it’s come – the worst news.”

She added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”

The charity previously said the remains were found with the 19-year-old’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.

The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.

Following the discovery, Mr Slater’s friend Lucy Law, who was the last known person to speak to him during a phone call on June 17, issued a 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 had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out, but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.

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 search for Jay Slater tells us - It's time to silence the trolls

    It was the news we have all be dreading... a body has been found in the search for missing Lancashire teen Jay Slater.

    Submitted

    Court rules whether body found in Tenerife is missing Jay Slater

    A body found in Tenerife has been identified as Jay Slater who suffered multiple injuries consistent with a fall, a Spanish court said.

    3rd party

    Jay Slater’s friend pays tribute to ‘happiest person in the room’

    A friend of Jay Slater has paid tribute to “the happiest and most smiley person in the room” after a body was found in the search for the missing 19-year-old in Tenerife

    Following yesterday’s tragic discovery, friend Lucy Law - who was the last known person to speak to him during a phone call on June 17 - paid tribute to her friend 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.”

    Lucy Law

    Timeline: The search for missing teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife

    British teenager Jay Slater vanished on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife last month, prompting a search effort which spanned weeks and involved family members, police and volunteers.

    The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had attended the NRG music festival with friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

    A body has been found in the search for the 19-year-old, and below are the key events leading up to the discovery:

    – Sunday June 16

    Mr Slater attends the NRG music festival with friends at Papagayo nightclub in the tourist resort of Playa de las Americas in the south of the island.

    – Monday June 17

    In the early hours of Monday he goes to stay in an apartment in the north of the island with people he had met over the course of the night.

    – 7.30am

    Mr Slater posts a picture on Snapchat from the doorway of the property he stayed at overnight, tagged as being in Rural de Teno park.

    – 8.30am

    He calls his friend, Lucy Law, telling her he had attempted to walk back to his accommodation after missing his bus – a journey that would take more than 10 hours.

    In the frantic last phone call, Mr Slater says he had “cut his leg” on a cactus and had “no idea where he was”.

    Ms Law says her friend told her he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.

    Mr Slater’s phone runs out of battery shortly after with his last known location being in Rural de Teno park.

    – 9.04am

    He is reported missing.

    – Tuesday June 18

    After friends spend the previous day searching to no avail, local police and mountain rescue teams scour Rural de Teno park for Mr Slater.

    His family fly out to Tenerife to join the search.

    – Wednesday June 19

    The search is temporarily moved to the Los Cristianos area in the south of the island because of a potential lead, but this is quickly discounted and the search returns north.

    Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, says she feared her son had “been taken against his will”.

    – Thursday June 20

    The search returns to Rural de Teno park, around the village of Masca.

    Emergency workers meet in various locations throughout the day, combing bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides and rivers, but fail to find the missing teenager.

    – Friday June 21

    Spanish police reject an offer of support from Lancashire Constabulary as the hunt continues.

    Police, firefighters and search and rescue personnel comb a vast area of land in and around the village of Masca.

    Search and rescue personnel carefully look through dead palm trees covering a river at the bottom of the hillside near to an Airbnb property Mr Slater had reportedly been driven to.

    The owner of the property tells reporters she saw Mr Slater walk up the road past her property but did not see him again after that – describing the situation as worrying.

    – Saturday June 22

    Mr Slater’s mother issues a direct plea to her missing son on the sixth day of the hunt, saying: “We just need you home.”

    Firefighters appear to conduct the majority of the searches as they wear helmets to tackle dangerous hillside terrain in Tenerife.

    The search parties seem noticeably smaller compared with other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in the village of Masca and the surrounding areas.

    – Sunday June 23

    Search teams narrow their efforts on small buildings close to where Mr Slater’s phone last pinged.

    Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Island can be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park.

    Efforts appear to be solely focused on the one area after days of searches in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.

    – Thursday June 27

    Mr Slater’s mother says she will use donations from the GoFundMe appeal set up by Ms Law, to fund her stay on Tenerife.

    Ms Duncan says the £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 individual donations will be used to support mountain rescue teams, and to cover her own accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island.

    – Friday June 28

    The Guardia Civil appeal for volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers who are experts in rugged terrain to assist in a “busqueda masiva”, or massive search, to take place on Saturday.

    – Saturday June 29

    A renewed search for Mr Slater gets under way in the village of Masca, near to his last-known location, co-ordinated to take in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.

    – Sunday June 30

    Spanish police call off the search for the missing teenager.

    A Guardia Civil spokesperson reportedly says: “The search operation has now finished, although the case remains open.”

    It is understood that Mr Slater’s family and friends will stay in Tenerife to continue to look for him.

    – Tuesday July 2

    Ms Duncan says “words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing” after searches fail to trace her missing son.

    In a statement issued through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she says the land search for her son has been called off, but thanks the Guardia Civil who she says “worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced”.

    – Wednesday July 3

    In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, which had raised almost £50,000 as of Wednesday, Ms Duncan thanks the “vast” generosity of donors, saying her family are “grateful for all of your support and kindness during this unimaginable time”.

    She writes that part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced.

    – Sunday July 14

    The missing teenager’s mother speaks of her “heartache” and criticises “awful comments and conspiracy theories” as it approaches a month since Mr Slater disappeared.

    In a statement released through LBT Global, Ms Duncan says: “As we approach four weeks of our beautiful Jay’s disappearance, we cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family.”

    Ms Duncan says the family wish to thank the public for “their continued support and well wishes” and praises the British Embassy and police for “doing all they can to support us”.

    But she also criticises “awful comments and conspiracy theories” posted on social media, which she brands “vile” and says were “hindering” people trying to help locate the teenager.

    – Monday July 15

    A body is found in the search for Mr Slater.

    Charity LBT Global says that, while formal identification has not yet taken place, the remains were found with the 19-year-old’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.

    Members of a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard discovered the body near the village of Masca on Monday.

    The force says Mr Slater could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where the body was discovered.

    Former Hyndburn Council leader and Oswaldtwistle resident Peter Britcliffe leads tributes to Jay Slater

    Reporter Sam Quine talks to Oswaldtwistle resident and former leader of Hyndburn Council Peter Britcliffe about the devastating news a body has been found in the search missing Jay Slater

    There are simply no words that mean anything to Jay Slater's family at this time

    There are no words that mean anything to Jay's family at this time

    P L Photography And Images

    Body found in search for missing Lancashire teen Jay slater, 19, was found with 'his possessions and clothes'

    The body found in the search for missing Lancashire teen in Jay Slater was found with his possessions and with the clothes he was last seen in.

    LEP

    Residents in Oswaldtwisle share their condolences and messages of support to Jay Slater's family

    Lancashire Post Reporter Sam Quine talks to the people of Oswaltwistle about the news a body has been found in the search for missing teen Jay Slater.

    Residents say the community has been 'rocked' by the news and they are sending messages of love and support to Jay's mum Debbie Duncan, his wider family and his friends.

    Poignant blue ribbon - a symbol of hope and support for Jay Slater and his family flaps in the wind in Oswaldtwistle as his family and friends process the news a body has been found by mountain rescuers in Tenerife...

    Jay might have suffered accidental fall in remote area of mountains, say police

    Spanish Police said Jay Slater was found near the Tenerife village of Masca.

    In a statement reported by Sky News, police said: “The mountain rescue and intervention group of the Civil Guard has located the lifeless body of a young man in the Masca area after 29 days of constant search.

    James Manning/PA Wire

    “Given the complexity of the case, the discovery has been possible thanks to the incessant and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard during these 29 days, in which the natural space was preserved so that it would not be filled with curious onlookers.

    “All indications indicate that it could be the young British man who has been missing since June 17 in the absence of full identification.

    “The first investigations reveal that he could have suffered an accident fall in the inaccessible area where he was found.”

    Body was found with Jay Slater’s possessions and clothes

    In a statement overseas missing persons charity LBT Global said: “LBT Global is saddened to announce that a body found in Tenerife does look to be that of Jay Slater. It is understood the body was found close to the site of his mobile phone’s last location.

    “Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes.

    “A post-mortem examination and forensic enquiries will follow.

    “LBT Global are supporting the family at this distressing time and ask for everyone to afford them space and privacy to come to terms with the news.”

    LEP

    Spanish police believe body is that of missing Lancashire teenager

    Spanish police have confirmed that a body has been found in Tenerife.

    An official said they believed the body is that of Jay Slater, but they are awaiting formal identification.

    An spokesperson for the Guardia Civil said: “We have found a body, we just have to wait for the anatomy check to complete the identification.”

    Family of Jay Slater respond to search for teen, 19, being called off

    Speaking to The Sun, a family source said Jay’s parents and family are ‘heartbroken and devastated’ by the news.

    Sniffer dogs had been flown in from Madrid to help search the Spanish island’s ravines, rivers and mountains since the 19-year-old went missing 13 days ago.

    LEP

    The Civil Guard will still act on tips, but it has announced the end of this large scale search less than 24 hours after a ‘last push’ proved fruitless.

    Search for Jay Slater in Tenerife called off by Spanish police

    It has been reported that a Guardia Civil spokesman said on Sunday: “The search operation has now finished, although the case remains open.”

    A search team near the the village of Masca.A search team near the the village of Masca.
    A search team near the the village of Masca. | James Manning/PA Wire

    On Friday, the force had appealed for volunteer associations, such as firefighters and individual volunteers who are experts in rugged terrain to assist in a “busqueda masiva” -massive search – on Saturday.

    Jay Slater's dad hits back at trolls and reveals why he hasn't joined the search in Tenerife

    Jay Slater’s dad has explained that he is ‘leaving it to the professionals’ instead of navigating the dangerous Tenerife terrain to look for his son himself.

    58-year-old Warren Slater, has said that he has faced internet trolling for not joining the search effort for the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle.

    Jay's dad Warren Slater (L) and brother Zak. Credit: Sky NewsJay's dad Warren Slater (L) and brother Zak. Credit: Sky News
    Jay's dad Warren Slater (L) and brother Zak. Credit: Sky News | Sky News

    Speaking to the Mirror, Warren said: "I’m grateful to those who have come out here because you can see just how dangerous it is and what gets me is the trollers who are having a go at us for not searching.

    "It’s not the local park, these are big mountains, the terrain is dangerous, put yourself in our position would you go out in these conditions?

    “It’s tough, it’s hard, we are leaving it to the professionals and I’m grateful for those who have turned out today and I want to thank them for what they are doing.”

    Jay Slater search team give major updates on hunt for missing teen

    Police in Tenerife have now confirmed the apprentice bricklayer was spotted on the morning he disappeared and the rescue effort was starting from that point today.

    Officers also confirmed the two mystery men who invited him back to their Airbnb hours after he went missing have been identified and spoken to. 

    Spanish search and rescue teams have gathered again in Tenerife to search for Lancashire teenager Jay Slater (Credit: James Manning/PA Wire)Spanish search and rescue teams have gathered again in Tenerife to search for Lancashire teenager Jay Slater (Credit: James Manning/PA Wire)
    Spanish search and rescue teams have gathered again in Tenerife to search for Lancashire teenager Jay Slater (Credit: James Manning/PA Wire) | James Manning/PA Wire

    However little is known about the men, who have not spoken publicly, besides the fact that they are British, black and in their late 30s to early 40s. 

    Police have said they drove Jay back to their £40-a-night two-bedroom apartment, located just outside the village of Masca on the side of a mountain in the Rural de Teno national park, some 20 miles away.

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