Body found in search for missing Jay Slater
Andy Bonner with an update on the body found in Tenerife
A body has been found in Tenerife in the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, Spanish police have said.
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, disappeared on 17 June after going to the NRG festival.
In a statement, the Guardia Civil said they had found a body in Masca which appears to be Jay.
The statement said evidence suggested that he could have died because of an accidental fall.
A spokesman said: "After 29 constant days of searching the body of the young man has been found in the Masca area.
"The discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard over these 29 days.
"Everything is pointing to the body being that of the young British man who disappeared on 17 June, pending full identification.
"Initial inquiries are pointing to him having suffered an accident/fall in the area where he was found."
LBT Global Charity, which provides support for British nationals missing, killed or in crisis overseas said it is understood the body was found close to the site of Jay's mobile phone’s last location and was found with his possessions and clothes.
Police are now awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.
Jay had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca and the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.
It is understood that some family members and close friends are flying out today to be with Jay's mother Debbie.
Mountaineering expert Paul Arnott, who has been searching in Masca for weeks, said: "If this is Jay, this is the most amazing closure for Jay's mum. You have no idea what that woman is going through. I really really can't believe it."
Andrew Williams, headteacher at Jay's former secondary school, Rhyddings High, Oswaldtwistle, released this statement: "As a devoted mother, we know Debbie would have never given up looking for Jay, and she and the family are firmly in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
"We hope that this tragic discovery will not only dispel any rumours, but allow the family to return with their son and afford them the dignity of their private grief and mourning.
"All members of our school communities, both past and present, share in our condolences and deepest sympathies for those that knew Jay."
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