JAY TRAGEDY
Exact spot where Jay Slater plunged to his death is seen for first time after it’s pinpointed by sniffer dog search team
Jay's family asked a Dutch search team to find the spot as police did not reveal exactly where Jay fell
THE spot where tragic Jay Slater fell to his death in a treacherous ravine in Tenerife has now been revealed.
Jay, 19, was attempting the 11-hour walk back to his holiday accommodation along unforgiving rocky terrain when he plummeted.
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Police last Monday found Jay's body after 29 days - but did not reveal the exact location the teenager fell in the Spanish island's northwest.
But Jay's desperate family last Thursday deployed Dutch search team Signi Zoekhonden to find the spot for them.
Their Belgian Malinois dog called Flex managed to pinpoint the heartbreaking spot where Jay fell to his death.
The three-strong team plus Flex did a five-hour trek in and out of the remote Barranco Juan Lopez valley.
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They took pictures and videos for Jay's devastated mum Debbie Duncan, dad Warren Slater, and brother Zak.
The grief-stricken family had already gone some way along the trail to lay flowers, but wanted to know where Jay had fallen and hoped to lay tributes there too.
Jay’s body revealed that he had suffered multiple injuries consistent with an accidental fall from a considerable height.
Dramatic images showed the moment a helicopter crewman was winched into the chasm with his arms aloft in the delicate recovery operation on July 15.
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Signi Zoekhonden shared footage on Facebook showing the area Jay fell and was found 300 yards into the ravine.
Veterinarian Esther van Neerbos, who leads the group, last week described the spot Jay fell as “difficult and dangerous”.
Jay Slater's grieving family deploy private search team to find exact spot where teenager died
In a Facebook post, the group described how they managed to pinpoint where Jay plunged.
After arriving in Tenerife on the Sunday evening before Jay was found, they started trying to retrace the teenager's steps.
They said: "The team with the dogs picked up Jay's tracks at the Airbnb he had left and in the valley where the last phone poll was, just before the phone ran 'empty'.
"By noon the dogs were rested to avoid the high temperatures. During that break, the message came in that a body had been found. Where was still unclear."
The team's dog called fast then managed to find the spot where Jay's body had been airlifted from.
They added: "The changed goal was now to capture Jay's route as much as possible, so Jay's family could get more clarity about his final journey that was too heavy for them to undertake.
"The next day a second dog, Signi 's Royce, brought the search team to the helicopter site again.
"On the third day of the search, the 3rd dog, Signi 's Flex, managed to penetrate to the scene of the accident.
"A heavy hike of 2.5 hours was covered through rocky terrain with lots of weeds, bushes and cacti."
A drone was then used to capture where Jay's body was eventually found after he fell.
Signi Zoekhonden's statement said: "At the moment Flex clearly smashed the final destination, the area and the road to it were checked by the drone (National DroneTeam).
"The steep descent down was spared for the team, because the drone captured the end point 20 metres away from them.
"The search team immediately started their return journey to be able to endure the worst heat as short as possible.
"The drone footage and the final coordinates were shown to the family in the evening in what was an emotional moment.
"The Signi dogs brought some comfort at Jay's memorial.
"On the day of departure the coordinates were confirmed by the police."
She added that she has urged the family not to lay flowers as the exact spot Jay was found as it is too perilous.
Esther told The Sun: “Every case is sad, it’s particularly difficult for mothers, it is never nice to have to search for a young child.
"Losing your boy is the worst thing you can think about.
“I think the rescue workers that found him did a very good job.
“Jay was a very young guy, he did very well to get as far as he got.
"The place where he was found is a very dry, small valley, very difficult to get into.”
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Distraught mum Debbie, 55, dad Warren, 58, and brother Zak, 24, meanwhile were in the mountainous region's gateway town, Santiago del Teide, as the volunteer search team scoured the ravine.
They are now preparing to fly back to the UK with Jay'd body and hold a funeral for him to pay a final goodbye.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay travelled to a remote Airbnb in Masca with two men in the early hours of June 17.
He had been partying all night in Playa de las Americas, close to an hour's drive away.
In the morning, he attempted the 11 hour walk back to his own accommodation miles away.
Jay made a tragic final phone call to friend Lucy Law to say he was lost, needed water and only had one per cent phone battery.
It was the last time Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, was heard from, and a mammoth search mission was launched.
Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak spent weeks searching the unforgiving terrain for a breakthrough after the teenager vanished on June 17.
They retraced his steps in the blistering heat for days on their own after Spanish cops suspended their search.
But his body was finally discovered by a helicopter crew on Monday at the bottom of a ravine close to where his mobile phone last pinged.
After authorities confirmed the ID, Jay's family left touching tributes in the area Jay walked along before falling.
A teddy bear with England flags on and a bracelet with the letter J on were also placed on a rocky track where Jay was last known to be.
Debbie described Jay as her “beautiful boy” in a touching handwritten note.
She wrote: "I'm so sorry we never found you.
"I miss you so much. You will be forever young and forever missed.
"Love you so much."
Warren left a message that simply read: “To my boy. Love dad.”
Zak promised to take care of their parents, writing: “Love you little bro.
"Never in a million years did I think I’d be doing this.
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"I’ll look after Mum and Dad. Hope you’re partying up there with Grandad.
"Hope to see you again some day. Rest easy bro. I love you.”
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