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4 months ago
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JAY Slater’s family had an “emotional moment” after being shown the exact spot the Brit teen’s body was found in a treacherous ravine in Tenerife.
Jay, 19, plummeted to his death down steep rocky terrain after attempting an 11-hour walk back to holiday accommodation in the baking heat.
Sniffer dog Flex found the specific area Jay plunged to his death
The volunteer search team braved the heat to find the exact location of Jay’s final moments
PH BUILDING GROUP/UNPIXS
Local cops found his body 29 days from when the teen first went missing following a music festival – but declined to disclose exactly where.
In response, Jay’s family called in Dutch team Signi Zoekhonden to search for the specific spot.
The non-profit unit used sniffer dog Flex to lead the last-ditch bid to identify the location, and posted to Facebook announcing they were successful.
The coordinates, which they say were confirmed by police, were then shown to the Slater family – mum Debbie, 55, dad Warren, 58, and brother Zak, 24.
It was described as an “emotional moment”.
The post said: “On the third day of the search … 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 flown out to capture Jay’s landing point from the fall because it was such a steep descent down, the post said.
It added: “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.
“Signi search dogs wishes the family a lot of strength with this great sadness.”
Jay’s grief-stricken family had already hiked along the terrain to lay flowers but wanted to pay tribute to the fallen teen at the precise spot he fell.
Spanish authorities said his body showed several injuries consistent with a dramatic fall from height.
The family stayed at Santiago del Teide, the mountainous region’s gateway town, while the volunteer search team negotiated narrow gorges and summer heat.
The family is expected to fly back to the UK with Jay’s body imminently.
Jay, an apprentice bricklayer, partied on after a music festival on the island with two men at a remote Airbnb in Masca on June 17.
He began walking back to Playa de las Americas on his own in the morning – but it was a perilous 11-hour trek.
THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF JAY SLATER
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
Jay Slater, a 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished in Tenerife on June 19, 2024.
The apprentice bricklayer, who flew out to the popular holiday island for a rave festival with friends Lucy Law and Brad Page, has made headlines around the country.
On Sunday June 16 the three of them headed off to one of the events at Papagayo nightclub.
In the early hours of Monday 17 – Lucy and Brad were ready to head back to their hotel, but Jay wanted to keep partying.
It was then that he left the south of the island and headed to an Airbnb in the northwest with two British men.
The Sun revealed the identity of one of them – convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, who spent nine years behind bars in the UK.
For days it was thought that the second mystery man went by the name ‘Johnny Vegas’.
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who was in Tenerife investigating, later said Qassim told him he is in fact the man behind the nickname ‘Johnny Vegas’.
The identity of the second man – who remained a key part of the puzzle in Jay’s mysterious disappearance – is still unknown.
Qassim claimed he drove Jay and the friend back to their accommodation and said they all went to sleep.
In the morning he offered to drive the teen back to the Los Cristianos resort after a nap, but Jay, hungry and tired, said he wanted to leave immediately.
Lucy, the last person to speak to Jay, claims she had a panicked call from him soon after he left the holiday let, telling her he was lost and thirsty, his phone was about to die and that he’d been cut by a cactus.
Jay had been seen by the owner of the Airbnb that morning wandering around near the Rural de Teno park – a mountainous region close-by.
He is believed to have been attempting the 11-hour trek back to his hotel, despite the alleged offer of a lift and more buses scheduled for the day. It was there that his phone last pinged.
29 days later, on Monday July 15, Spanish police confirmed remains had been found in a ravine close to where his phone had pinged.
Jay’s body was formally identified and his mum, Debbie Duncan, said the family’s “hearts were broken”.
He was last heard from by pal Lucy Law, who said Jay told her he was lost, his phone was about to die and he needed water.
Jay’s family left emotional tributes in the area he spent his final moments.
Debbie left a handwritten note, which said:
“I miss you so much. You will be forever young and forever missed.
“Love you so much.”
Dad Warren said: “To my boy. Love dad.”
While Zak added: “Love you little bro.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be doing this.”
Footage of the location showed a perilous landscape
Ian Whitaker The Sun
Jay’s parents and brother stayed in Tenerife while the Dutch search team scoured the region
Ian Whittaker
English (US)