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After four grueling weeks of mystery, the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater appears to have come to an end in northern Tenerife.
Human remains have been found in the area where the 19-year-old disappeared on the morning of June 17, Spanish police said Monday.
The Civil Guard said evidence strongly suggested the remains were those of the Lancashire teenager, with his clothes and belongings found nearby.
Authorities said DNA tests will be conducted to establish the person’s identity, as well as an autopsy to find out the cause of death, police added.
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A Spanish police spokesman said: “Everything suggests that this could be the young British man who has been missing for 29 days.
“He may have died as a result of an accidental fall in the steep and inaccessible area where he was found. We are awaiting the results of the autopsy to confirm that it was an accident.”
Although Mr Slater’s family have yet to comment on the discovery, a charity they work with said they were “supporting the family at this difficult time”.
The statement, released Monday afternoon, said: “LBT Global is saddened to report that a body found in Tenerife appears to be that of Jay Slater. It is believed the body was found near the last location of his mobile phone.”
“Although formal identification has not yet been made, the body was found with Mr Slater’s belongings and clothing. A post-mortem and forensic investigation will follow.”
Mr Slater was last heard from on Monday, June 17, when he told a friend he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey expected to take around 11 hours on foot.
He had travelled to the tourist spot with friends to attend the NRG music festival, on his first holiday without his family.
On Sunday, her friend Lucy Law said: Manchester Evening News that she had left the festival early, and that Jay had stayed and gone to a nightclub in Playa de Las Americas.
He then went to an Airbnb in the remote Masca Valley with two men, one of whom is Briton Ayub Qassim, but left their accommodation at around 8am to return home.
The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen by a cafe owner, who said the teenager had asked him about bus times before deciding not to wait two hours for a service.
She then saw him leaving the village and his phone was last detected in the Teno Rural National Park.
A frantic search was launched for Mr Slater after he went missing, with police, mountain rescue teams and volunteers scouring the mountainous terrain for two weeks.
Despite the official search being called off, his heartbroken family have vowed to continue looking for him and criticised local police and residents for not doing more to help their son.
At the time, his mother Debbie Duncan said: “As we approach four weeks since the passing of our beautiful Jay, we cannot express in words the grief we feel as a family.
“Jay is a typical young man who loves life and has a bright future ahead of him. This month will mark the end of his three-year apprenticeship with the world at his feet. He is loved by all and has close ties with his family and many friends.
“We also want to clarify that we are aware of the hateful comments and conspiracy theories circulating 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 families.”
After the discovery of a body on Monday, Spanish authorities said they had indeed continued “incessant and discreet” searches in which the natural space was preserved so that it would not be invaded by curious onlookers.
