Authorities have confirmed that fingerprints found on a body discovered in Tenerife belong to missing teenager Jay Slater.
Documents found on the body also identified the 19-year-old, who disappeared on June 16. Officials believe his injuries are consistent with a fall from a cliff, although the exact cause of death has yet to be officially determined.
Rescue teams released footage of the dense, rocky area near the Airbnb in Masca, Tenerife, where Slater was last seen.
The body, along with Slater’s clothes and possessions, was found in this inaccessible region. Spanish police stated that “all the evidence” suggests the remains are those of the missing British teen.
An official involved in the investigation, speaking anonymously, confirmed that formal identification and autopsy results are pending but indicated there is little doubt about the body’s identity. “Everything is pointing to an accidental fall,” the official added.
Jay’s family, particularly his mother, Debbie, is devastated by the news. A family source said, “It hasn’t completely sunk in yet. The hardest thing for her is to hear he was found so close to the original search site.”
The Guardia Civil, in a statement, acknowledged the rugged terrain and the complexity of the search. “After 29 constant days of searching, the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area.”
Slater went missing after attending a music festival and an after-party at a remote Airbnb. His last known contact was a call to a friend, indicating he was lost and injured. Despite a large-scale search, his body was not located until 29 days later.
Former police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who assisted in the search, noted the hazardous terrain. “The area where the body was found is treacherous and dangerous,” he said. “A slip or loss of footing would prove fatal.”
A family spokesman expressed their heartbreak, stating, “The whole family is broken. Initially, they thought, how could he be so close yet missed? But now having
