Inside ‘deathtrap’ ravine where Jay Slater’s body found as footage shows treacherous landscape
THE “DEATHTRAP” ravine where Jay Slater’s body was found has been revealed in dramatic drone footage.
The clip of the treacherous landscape shows terrifying ridges and rocky cliff-edges, with a near-vertical drop of up to a deadly 300ft each side.
Searchers discovered Jay’s remains on Monday – four weeks after he disappeared while on holiday with his pals for the NRG music festival.
Spanish cops still haven’t revealed the exact location where the body was found.
But it’s believed his body was pulled from the remote Baranco Juan Lopez valley, not far from where his phone signal last pinged.
Footage shows how high up the terrain really is as the clouds meet the cliff edges.
It’s almost completely obscured by low cloud which could have blurred Jay’s vision.
The landscape is considered to be near-impossible to access on foot unless you’re an experienced climber with equipment – including rope.
Some gaps seen between the desolate landscape are only a few feet wide and sometimes hidden which could explain how the teen’s body was missed in previous aerial searches.
The Brit is believed to have accidentally fallen to his death while attempting to trek back to his hotel through the dangerous ravine.
Speaking to The Mirror, ex-Madeleine McCann investigator Mark Williams-Thomas said: “The area where Jay’s body was found was highlighted yesterday afternoon with the search and rescue helicopter in the area.
“It is around 20 minutes walk from the pin drop location.”
Mark Williams-Thomas previously revealed how rescue workers would have seriously struggled to scour the ravine after cops labelled it as “very inaccessible”.
He claimed a single foot placed incorrectly or an unfortunate slip may have been fatal.
A local villager told MailOnline: “The place is a deathtrap for people who don’t know what they are doing.
“There are places where you can climb, but it is easy to slip on the uneven surface or lose your grip.
“If you are a teenager who is alone, and you are dehydrated, tired and confused about your whereabouts, then the chance of an awful accident are even higher.”
The 19-year-old Brit vanished 29 days ago after going to a rave the night before with friends – sparking a huge effort to find the Lancashire teen.
As Jay attempted the 11-hour walk back to his own accommodation through the rough and rocky terrain, it is feared accidentally fell.
The teen’s devastated mum Debbie Duncan has asked to see her son one last time despite cops saying his body has deteriorated over time.
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.
“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.”
Dramatic footage released from the Tenerife Guardia Civil on Monday showed rescue workers using a helicopter to reach an “inaccessible” ravine where Jay’s body was found.
Footage shows the searchers hacking at bushes and climbing up the sides of the huge mountains as part of their hunt.
Jay vanished without a trace on June 17 while on holiday with friends Brad Hargreaves and Lucy Law.
He 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.
Police cancelled the search on June 30 after they launched a final official attempt to find Jay.
Police hunting for Slater were forced to search in secret as amateur sleuths risked disrupting the case.
Cops in Tenerife had so far remained tight-lipped about their investigation – sparking a barrage of online speculation.
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.
The source told The Sun: “For many of the officers in Tenerife, they’d never dealt with a missing persons’ case like this.
“There were so many armchair detectives offering theories, and people arriving on the Island who said they could solve the mystery.
“They had no interest in feeding that.”
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.
July 15: 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”.
Today: Tenerife authorities confirm the body found in mountainous area of island is Jay’s.
