Jay Slater’s grieving mum ‘wants to see him one last time’ & personally ID remains found in Tenerife after 4-week search
JAY Slater’s heartbroken mum has said she wants to see her beloved son one last time.
A body was found in the mountainous area of Tenerife yesterday that cops are certain is the 19-year-old.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, vanished on June 17 while on holiday with pals.
His distraught family including mum Debbie Duncan, 55, and dad Warren Slater, 58, jetted to the island and have been battling for answers.
They got the news they were dreading on Monday when Spanish police revealed a body had been located.
Police said initial evidence strongly suggests it is Jay’s body and that he likely suffered a fall.
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Officials say the body recovered was “very deteriorated” and it is unlikely full identification will happen until “next week”.
But they say documentation found with the remains was Jay’s and everything is pointing to an accidental fall.
Jay’s mum Debbie, 55, wants to see her son for a final time as they face the grave task of IDing the body.
A family spokesman told The Sun: "Formal identification of Jay's body will be done using a DNA sample provided by the family to the Spanish Guardia Civil during the early stages of the search.
"There should be no need for the family to have to perform a formal identification.
"Debbie has said she wants to see him one last time.
"Obviously that's a personal voice but given he's been there the best part of a month in those conditions, I'm not sure that's a memory she will want."
The spokesman said a post-mortem on Jay's body will be conducted in the next 24 hours.
Arrangements are being made to repatriate the body to the UK where a second post-mortem is likely to be carried out by a Home Office pathologist.
Spanish cops say initial indications from the body - recovered from a steep ravine in the mountainous region of Tenerife - are consistent with a fall from a height.
The post-mortem is expected to involve a toxicology report and will look to rule out any criminal involvement.
The family spokesman added: "We would advise for the body to be repatriated and have a second post mortem carried out in the UK.
"It may be that the coroner may demand that as well.
"Overseas autopsies often aren't to the standard of the Home Office. The second one will be more detailed and thorough."
A court in the town of Icod de los Vinos, which covers the area of Masca where the body was found, is in charge of the ongoing investigation.
Officials representing the investigating judge said: “In reference to the British citizen Jay Slater, the autopsy with the full identification of the body and the causes of death will take time, because the body was very deteriorated.
There should be no need for the family to have to perform a formal identification
Family spokesperson
“But there is very little doubt about both the identity and the etiology.
"The documentation he was carrying corresponds to that of Jay Slater and everything is pointing to an accidental fall, although that is unofficial pending the final reports.”
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity as is normal in Spain, said: “The court is saying the official identification will not be known until next week."
Jay vanished without a trace on June 17 while on holiday with friends Brad Hargreaves and Lucy Law.
He had gone in the early hours with two men to their Airbnb in the north of the Canary Island after leaving a music festival at a nightclub.
Later that morning he called Lucy from near remote Masca village to say he was thirsty and his phone battery was nearly dead.
What we know
- A body was found in the gruelling search for missing Jay Slater on Monday after 4 weeks
- The body was discovered just yards away from where Jay's phone last pinged
- Jay's family believe the missing teen was killed instantly after a horror fall
- Jay's best pal Lucy Mae Law pays tribute to the 'happiest person in the room'
- GoFundMe reveals 'next steps' in Jay Slater fundraiser as donations pour in
- Moment Jay Slater cops scour 'inaccessible mountain' for clues after body found
His mobile cut out at 8.50am near a hiking trail in the Rural de Teno national park — an 11-hour trek from his apartment in the south of the island.
Police combed the area for 12 days using a helicopter, drones and dogs.
To the family’s dismay the full search was suspended on June 29.
But Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak and uncle Glen Duncan, 41, continued to hunt for him.
The body was spotted yesterday at around 10am by members of the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group close to where his phone last pinged in an area too steep to access on foot.
The Guardia Civil said in its statement: “After 29 constant days of searching, the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area.
“Given the complexity of the case the discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search . . . in which the natural space was preserved.
“The body of the young person was found in a very inaccessible area. The results of the autopsy are awaiting confirmation it is an accident.
“The large-scale operation involving multiple units had been suspended but, as we always said, we never stopped looking for Jay.
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“The mountain rescue group continued looking for the missing man when they were on duty.
“We’ve always said the terrain is very difficult and the search was complicated.”
TIMELINE OF THE TRAGEDY
THE grim discovery of a body comes after weeks of agony for Jay’s friends and family. Here is how the events unfolded:
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party at the last day of NRG music festival being held at Papagayo night club in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay leaves with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 23 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat standing at doorway of the Airbnb.
8.50am: He calls pal Lucy Mae Law and says he is “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Pals search area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan flies to Tenerife.
June 19-20: Spanish police deploy drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no trace. Search moves to Los Cristianos amid possible sighting, but it is ruled out and they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but it is declined.
June 22: Mum Debbie issues emotional appeal to Jay saying “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near to where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues plea for her son to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams- Thomas joins search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and other man at Airbnb, out of investigation.
June 30: Spanish cops officially suspend hunt but say probe “remains open”. His family continue to search.
Yesterday: A body is found by helicopter search team close to where his phone last pinged. His possessions are discovered next to human remains. Spanish cops say it points to an “accidental fall”.