Tragic new childhood pics show Jay Slater with footie pals as his team praise teen ‘who always had a smile on his face’
TRAGIC new pictures have emerged to show a young and happy Jay Slater posing with his footie pals who say the teen “always had a smile on his face”.
The 19-year-old disappeared for over four weeks before his body was found in a treacherous ravine in a case that is shrouded with mysteries.
One picture shows the Brit teen beaming a huge smile on his face as he shows a football match trophy.
Another picture shows a seven-year-old Jay posing with his teammates on a football pitch.
A third picture shows a grinning Jay cheering for his team while sitting on a bench off the ground.
The heartfelt post for the Lancashire teen was shared on social media by the same pals who stood alongside him in the pictures.
They described young Jay as a “natural footballer” who was “quiet and shy”, but always had a huge smile on his face.
A heartfelt caption on the post read: “Jay was a genuine nice lad taken from us all tragically too early.
“You won’t find a single teammate with a bad word to say about him, just respect and affection. He played with a genuine smile on his face.
“Rest in peace Jay it was a privilege for all of us to call you a teammate.”
Jay’s body was tragically discovered on Monday, July 15 at the bottom of a treacherous ravine in Masca.
The teen had been missing for four weeks after disappearing while on holiday with his pals for the NRG music festival.
Jay was last seen on June 17 walking uphill in the remote village on the northwest of the island.
He had gone back to an Airbnb in the desolate park with two men after a night of partying.
In the morning, he attempted the 11-hour walk back to his own accommodation after missing the bus.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay made a frantic final call to friend Lucy Law to say he was lost.
His phone pinged for the final time shortly before 9am that morning in the rocky terrain.
Rest in peace Jay … it was a privilege for all of us to call you a teammate
Jay's footie pals
Mum Debby, dad Warren, and brother Zak are now preparing to make the final tragic journey home to the UK with Jay’s body.
The cost of bringing him back is due to be covered by the GoFundMe set up by pal Lucy Mae Law in the days after Jay first vanished.
The fundraiser has skyrocketed past £70,000 with more than 5,600 donations.
It reached £60,000 in an outpouring of support in the days after Jay’s body was found and has continued to rise ever since.
In a statement released on Thursday on the ‘Get Jay Slater Home’ GoFundMe page, Debbie said: “Hello everyone, thank you for all of your kindness, support and condolences in light of the tragic news that Jay’s body has been found.
“We are overwhelmed with grief and are so grateful for your support.”
Cops said Jay’s body became “very deteriorated” after it had spent weeks in the Masca ravine where he was eventually discovered on July 15.
Initial evidence seems to point to the Brit accidentally falling to his death after a preliminary autopsy by Tenerife authorities revealed the teen was found with broken bones.
Mum Debbie Duncan and the rest of Jay’s family are said to have found a sense of comfort after hearing he likely died instantly from the fall rather than suffering for days.
Investigations are yet to be finalised on Jay’s tragic death – meaning an inquest in the UK could still take place if they think it is necessary.
An inquest in the UK may take months to conclude based on the nature of Jay’s case and the complexities around it.
Most coroners aim to finalise their results within nine months of the initial inquest getting underway, according to The Coroner’s Courts Support Service.
Jay’s family have been looking for answers ever since they flew out to Tenerife to help look for the Brit back in June.
An inquest would help them find closure as they would also be able to ask any questions they may still have.
Parents Debbie and Warren Slater will be given the chance to read out a statement and pay their respects to their son through a loving pen portrait.
It comes as twisted Jay sleuths are said to be trying to gain access to the teenager’s autopsy results, reports the BBC.
Online trolls have been slammed for interfering with the family bringing Jay back to Lancashire for a final send off.
Attempts by mindless sleuths to get the information comes after reports of the 19-year-old being seen at Sainsbury’s, watching a Euros game and on the Eurostar.
Vile trolls even dared to send hoax ransom demands to the teen’s devastated family claiming to be holding Jay hostage at the start of the hunt.
Timeline of Jay Slater disappearance
THE grim discovery of a body came after weeks of agony for Jay's friends and family. Here is how events unfolded:
June 16: Jay and his friends party on the last day of the NRG music festival at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17th:
- 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 the 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.
June 18: Pals search the area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start the 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 an appeal to Jay saying: “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues a plea for Jay to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas joins the search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and another 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 a 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”.
July 17: Tenerife authorities confirm the body found in the mountainous area of the island is Jay’s.
