HOW the body thought to be Jay Slater’s got so far into a ravine is “hard to understand”, locals say.
Searchers discovered remains yards from Jay’s last known location on Monday – four weeks after he disappeared while on holiday with pals in Tenerife.
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Family and friends have paid tribute to the 19-year-old 29 days ago after he went to a rave with friends – sparking a huge effort to find the Lancashire teen.
Police said “everything is pointing” to the body found being Jay’s – and initial evidence suggests he tragically died after an “accidental fall”.
The body was discovered just yards away from where Jay’s phone last pinged.
But cops are continuing their search of the area to ensure nothing is missed in the thick undergrowth that covers the rugged area near the village of Masca.
Dramatic footage shows rescue workers using a helicopter to reach an ‘inaccessible’ ravine as a body was found close to where the teen vanished.
Rescue workers can also be seen hacking at bushes and climbing up the sides of the huge mountains as part of their hunt.
The valley being searched was only about a mile from where Slater was last seen.
It is “exceptionally difficult” to safely navigate down the valley on foot, one local told Sky News.
Another said: “It is sad – the spot where they found him shows he had gone a long way into the ravine.
“It is hard to understand how he got there.”
Officials say the body recovered was “very deteriorated” and it is unlikely full identification will happen until “next week”.
But they say documentation found with the remains was Jay’s and everything is pointing to an accidental fall.
A family spokesman told The Sun: “Formal identification of Jay’s body will be done using a DNA sample provided by the family to the Spanish Guardia Civil during the early stages of the search.
“There should be no need for the family to have to perform a formal identification.
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“Debbie has said she wants to see him one last time.
“Obviously that’s a personal voice but given he’s been there the best part of a month in those conditions, I’m not sure that’s a memory she will want.”
The spokesman said a post-mortem on Jay’s body will be conducted in the next 24 hours.
Arrangements are being made to repatriate the body to the UK where a second post-mortem is likely to be carried out by a Home Office pathologist.
Spanish cops say initial indications from the body – recovered from a steep ravine in the mountainous region of Tenerife – are consistent with a fall from a height.
The Civil Guard said: “After 29 constant days of searching, the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area.
“Given the complexity of the case the discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search… in which the natural space was preserved.
What we know
“The body of the young person was found in a very inaccessible area. The results of the autopsy are awaiting confirmation it is an accident.
“The large-scale operation involving multiple units had been suspended but, as we always said, we never stopped looking for Jay.
“The mountain rescue group continued looking for the missing man when they were on duty.
“We’ve always said the terrain is very difficult and the search was complicated.”
Despite ending the official search on June 29, Tenerife cops continued to search in private.
Social media was rife with armchair detectives peddling vile conspiracy theories and hounding Jay’s devastated family.
Some amateur sleuths even took it upon themselves to fly to the island in a bid to crack the case themselves.
It fuelled cops to keep their work even more private as they refused to add to the “circus” caused by trolls and wannabe sleuths, police sources say.
TIMELINE OF THE TRAGEDY
THE grim discovery of a body comes after weeks of agony for Jay’s friends and family. Here is how the events unfolded:
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party at the last day of NRG music festival being held at Papagayo night club in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay leaves with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 23 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat standing at doorway of the Airbnb.
8.50am: He calls pal Lucy Mae Law and says he is “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Pals search area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan flies to Tenerife.
June 19-20: Spanish police deploy drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no trace. Search moves to Los Cristianos amid possible sighting, but it is ruled out and they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but it is declined.
June 22: Mum Debbie issues emotional appeal to Jay saying “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near to where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues plea for her son to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams- Thomas joins search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and other man at Airbnb, out of investigation.
June 30: Spanish cops officially suspend hunt but say probe “remains open”. His family continue to search.
Yesterday: A body is found by helicopter search team close to where his phone last pinged. His possessions are discovered next to human remains. Spanish cops say it points to an “accidental fall”.
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