An autopsy has confirmed that a body found by Spanish rescuers in Tenerife on Monday is that of missing British teenager Jay Slater. The 19-year-old from Lancashire disappeared after attending a music festival on the island four weeks ago.
A court spokesperson has reportedly confirmed that fingerprints taken from the body matched those of Slater. He was last seen walking alone in a remote area in the north of the island, near the village of Masca.
Cause of Death
The court stated that injuries on his body suggested his death had been caused by an accidental fall. “We have a positive identification and more data. Fingerprint tests show that the body is [that] of Jay Slater and that the death was caused by trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area,” a statement by the high court of justice in the Canary Islands said.
Family’s Reaction
Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, expressed her grief in a statement: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
Timeline of Disappearance
Slater had been staying with a group of friends on the coast and had attended the NRG music festival in Playa De Las Americas. He left the festival with two men and went to their Airbnb in the remote Rural de Teno national park, about 11 hours on foot from where he was staying.
Last Known Movements
Ofelia Medina Hernandez, whose brother owns the Airbnb, recalled seeing Slater walking uphill in the opposite direction to Los Cristianos, where he had rented an apartment. “It’s dangerous walking around here, it’s easy to lose yourself,” she said. “He walked along the road when I saw him for the last time, up there … He was there alone. He was walking normally, though fast, a little fast.”
Final Communication
Slater phoned a friend, Lucy Law, who had attended the festival but left before him, at about 8.30am on 17 June. He said he was lost, thirsty, and his phone battery was on 1%.
Tributes
Reacting to the news of Slater’s death, Law posted on Instagram: “Honestly lost for words. Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was 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.”
Search Efforts
The Guardia Civil said one of its mountain rescue teams found Slater’s body while carrying out a search on the ground, four weeks to the day since the teenager went missing. A search operation had been launched after he was reported missing, employing dogs, helicopters, and drones to scour the rugged terrain. The search was scaled down after two weeks but continued with volunteer search experts from Spain and the UK joining the efforts.
Recovery and Repatriation
Tenerife’s El Día newspaper reported that the terrain where the body was found was so inaccessible that a helicopter had to be used to recover it. On Tuesday, rescue teams continued to comb the thick undergrowth to ensure nothing was missed.
Privacy Request
Matthew Searle, from the British overseas missing person charity LBT Global, said it was working with Slater’s family on the next steps, which would include recovering his belongings and repatriating his body. He requested privacy for Slater’s family and called for an end to “hurtful comments on social media and elsewhere”, referring to conspiracy theories that have spread rapidly online since Slater’s disappearance.
