‘Totally devastated’ mum of Jay Slater demands answers after body is found yards from teen’s last known location
THE grief-stricken mum of missing Brit teen Jay Slater demanded answers last night after a body was found yards from his last known location.
Debbie Duncan, 55, was said to be “totally devastated” after searchers discovered remains in a ravine 29 days since Jay, 19, disappeared in Tenerife.
A family source said: “It’s the news they have been dreading. She has lots of questions.”
Meanwhile, a pal on holiday with Jay when he vanished paid an emotional tribute to his friend yesterday after a body was found.
An account apparently belonging to Brad Hargreaves wrote: “No words. Nothing will be the same without you. Rest easy brother. Love you always.”
His heartfelt online post came as a body was recovered from a remote ravine in Tenerife just yards from Jay’s last known location.
Dramatic images released by Spanish cops showed the moment a helicopter crewman was winched into the chasm with his arms aloft in the delicate recovery operation.
Mum’s anger
Following the find, Jay’s heartbroken mum Debbie is demanding answers over how police search teams missed the body.
A family source told The Sun: “Debbie is completely devastated.
It means it’s entirely possible they have walked past his body whilst searching for him.
A family source
“It’s the news they’ve all been dreading. She has a lot of questions which she hopes will be answered in the coming days.
“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. It’s hard to take.
“It means it’s entirely possible they have walked past his body whilst searching for him.
“It seems incredible so many people walked that area and yet he was so close. As we have seen with mountainous terrain and ravines, it does happen — no matter how hard that is to believe.”
The Guardia Civil said in a statement that “initial evidence” suggested the person found had “suffered an accident or fall in the inaccessible zone”.
It said “all the evidence” suggested that the remains found were those of “the young British man who disappeared”.
Full identification is yet to be carried out. But the charity LBT Global, which works with families of people missing overseas, said the remains were found with Jay’s clothes and possessions, close to his mobile phone’s last known location.
The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, vanished on June 17.
He was on holiday with Brad and friend Lucy Law.
Jay had gone in the early hours with two men to their Airbnb in the north of the Canary Island after leaving a music festival at a nightclub.
Later that morning he called Lucy from near remote Masca village to say he was thirsty and his phone battery was nearly dead.
His mobile cut out at 8.50am near a hiking trail in the Rural de Teno national park — an 11-hour trek from his apartment in the south of the island. Police combed the area for 12 days using a helicopter, drones and dogs.
A TIMELINE TO 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”.
To the family’s dismay the full search was suspended on June 29.
But Jay’s dad Warren, 58, brother Zak, 24, and uncle Glen Duncan, 41, continued to hunt for him.
The body was spotted yesterday at around 10am by members of the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group close to where his phone last pinged in an area too steep to access on foot.
The Guardia Civil said in its statement: “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.
‘Our beautiful boy’
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.”
Jay’s family were last night being supported by British Embassy officials. A post-mortem is expected to take place in the next 48 hours.
We cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family. We are just a normal family desperate to find our beautiful boy.
Jay's mum Debbie
The shock news yesterday came hours after Jay’s family had marked four weeks since he disappeared.
In a statement, mum Debbie had said: “We cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family. We are just a normal family desperate to find our beautiful boy.”
A spokesman for the family confirmed the body was found close to the site where Jay’s mobile phone had last sent a signal.
He added: “Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes. We 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.” Lancashire Police said its thoughts were with Jay’s family.
One of the last people to be seen with Jay was Ayub Qassim, 31.
They were seen together outside a nightclub in the early hours before heading to the remote Airbnb.
At 7.30am Jay posted a Snapchat picture of himself holding a cigarette outside the holiday let.
He was seen by a local resident in Masca at 8am walking along the road out of the village after stopping to ask for directions.
Spanish police ruled Qassim out of the investigation and allowed him to fly home saying there was “no evidence of criminality”.
At his home in Barking, East London, Qassim insisted he played no part in Jay’s disappearance.
He said the teen had arrived at the Airbnb alive and left it alive.
But with no breakthrough, wild theories flooded the internet.
Jay’s family were even accused by trolls of pocketing more than £50,000 raised via GoFundMe.