Rescuers searching for missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife have found a body and are trying to identify him, Spanish police have told Sky News.
“The evidence strongly suggests” that the remains are those of the 19-year-old, officers added.
Police said in a statement that the Civil Guard’s mountain rescue group had located the “lifeless body of a young man in the Masca region after 29 days of constant searching.”
They added: “Given the complexity of the case, the discovery was possible thanks to the incessant and discreet searches carried out by the Civil Guard during these 29 days.”
Some parts of the countryside have been “preserved” so as not to be “filled with curious onlookers”.
The officers continued: “All indications are that this could be the young British man who has been missing since June 17 – in the absence of full identification.
“Initial investigations reveal that he could have been the victim of an accidental fall in the inaccessible area where he was found.
“We are waiting for the results of the autopsy.”
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Jay Slater’s friend Lucy Law posted a photo of him. Photo: Instagram
Radio Canarias reported that the Civil Guard found a body in the village of Masca.
“Everything indicates that this is Jay Slater, the young British man who disappeared on June 17 in Tenerife,” the channel said on X.
“Initial investigations indicate an accident or a fall in the area,” he added.
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June: Jay Slater’s father speaks out
Mr Slater was last heard from after he set out on a walk from a northern part of the island to return to his holiday accommodation in the south – a journey of about 11 hours.
He flew to the Spanish island with friends on June 13 to attend a music festival three days later at the Papagayo nightclub in the southern resort of Playa de las Americas.
On June 17 at 8:30 a.m., he called his friend Lucy Law to tell her that he had missed a bus, his phone battery was at 1% and he had cut his leg on a cactus.
The area of Tenerife that was searched
On Sunday, his mother, Debbie Duncan, said the family “I can’t put it into words” the grief they went through.
She said her son was “loved by all and had close ties with his family and many friends.”
Ms Duncan described her boy as a “loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend to so many”.
She also said some of the online comments were “very distressing for all of us to read.”
Ms Duncan added: “We are aware of the horrific comments and conspiracy theories that are rife on social media.
“These theories are annoying to people who are trying to help us with their investigations here in Tenerife and are disgusting to see in the family.”
