Very, very sad, but not unexpected news this week as a body was found in the search for Jay Slater in Tenerife, almost a full month after the teenager went missing on June 17.
A spokesperson for the Spanish police said yesterday:
“After 29 constant days of searching the lifeless body of a 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.”
While the body has yet to be formally identified, the remains were found just 20 minutes from where the 19-year-old’s phone last pinged, and his possessions were found nearby. Which means it’s basically a certainty that the remains are those of Jay Slater, which isn’t the outcome anyone wanted, but at least his friends and family now have some answers and can begin to get some closure.
One of those friends is Jay’s pal Lucy Mae, who’s been a key character in the saga (and indeed the conspiracy theories) from the beginning. She was also the last person to speak to Jay Slater, and had told authorities that Slater said he’d cut his leg on a cactus, a detail which may have ended up being crucial to the search efforts as it helped direct them towards the fact that he had left the main road.
Lucy shared the following tribute to Jay on Instagram earlier:
View this post on Instagram
“Honestly lost for words. Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know.
“I’m sure you’ll ‘have your dancing shoes polished and ready’ waiting for us all. We all love you buddy. Fly high.”
British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, which had supported Slater’s family including his mum Debbie Duncan, had announced that the body found was likely to be Slater, saying:
“LBT Global is saddened to announce that a body found in Tenerife does look to be that of Jay Slater.
“It is understood the body was found close to the site of his mobile phone’s last location.
“Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes. A post mortem and forensic enquiries will follow.
“LBT Global are supporting the family at this distressing time and ask for everyone to afford them space and privacy to come to terms with the news.”
So it turns out that things may not have been as suspicious as the internet had assumed, but I suppose that’s normal in the social media age, especially when there were no breakthroughs being made for weeks, and given all the other stories that were coming out about Jay Slater and his pals. None of that really matters now, though. At the end of the day a mum and dad have their son and that’s very sad no matter how you want to look at it. Thoughts with Jay Slater’s friends and family.
For the convicted drug dealer who insisted Jay Slater ‘came to my house alive, and left my house alive’ on the night he vanished, click HERE.
