The body of a man believed to be British tourist Jay Slater has been found on the Spanish island of Tenerife, nearly a month after he vanished.
The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing on June 17 in the mountainous terrain of the Rural de Teno national park after attending the NRG music festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas with friends.
His disappearance sparked a massive search operation involving his parents, special volunteers, and police, who combed through bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides, and rivers. The operation was suspended two weeks later after no results were found.
Spanish police have now confirmed that remains, believed to be Jay’s, have been discovered in the Masca area. Jay had stayed at an Airbnb near the remote village the night before he vanished.
Initial inquiries suggest he may have died due to “an accidental fall in the rough and inaccessible area where he was found.”
A police spokesperson stated, “After 29 constant days of searching, the lifeless 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 June 17, pending full identification. Initial inquiries are pointing to him having suffered an accident/fall in the area where he was found.”
Jay was last seen by a resident in the village of Masca, in northwest Tenerife, just after 8 am on June 17.
He was walking northwards along the road out of the village after stopping to ask for directions as he tried to return to his accommodation in southern Tenerife. His phone last pinged near a lookout point where search teams gathered on June 29 to begin the final day of the operation.
Details about the exact location where the body was found have not been immediately disclosed.
