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Tom Swarbrick 7am - 10am
15 July 2024, 13:25
Human remains have been found by Spanish police searching for Jay Slater
The teenager went missing 29 days ago after returning to his holiday accommodation after a night out.
Spanish Police said Jay Slater was found near the Tenerife village of Masca.
Follow all the developments LIVE
Spanish police find remains in hunt for Jay Slater
Residents of Jay's home town of Oswaldthwistle have shared their shock after searchers found human remains.
Local pub landlord Paul Fitzpatrick said: "If it's true that it's him then we are all devastated for his family, his mum especially.
"She has been a good friend to us all, we've known Debbie for years."
The GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home has raised more than £50,000.
Jay's mother Debbie Duncan previously said the funds would be used to support volunteers searching for her son in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced.
GoFundMe have said that they are in contact with the family and next steps would be decided in the coming weeks.
Tenerife’s Guardia Civil said on Monday that officers are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to confirm that Mr Slater died as a result of an accident.
Spanish police called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
But in its statement on Monday, the force said teams had not stopped searching every day.
“The discovery was possible thanks to the incessant and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard during these 29 days, in which the natural space was preserved so that it would not be filled with onlookers,” its statement read.
Investigators have said they "never stopped searching" for Jay Slater, despite calling off the search two weeks ago.
“The specialised mountain rescue team of the Guardia Civil never stopped searching for a British man since he went missing," a spokesperson told the Telegraph.
“On Saturday we asked for volunteers to help the search. Today the officers from this mountain rescue unit found a human body near the area where this man went missing.”
Social media users have slammed online sleuths sharing conspiracy theories about Jay Slater.
Following the news that human remains were discovered in the search for the teen, angry users took to a popular Jay Slater Facebook page.
One woman wrote: "This group needs to be deleted and let the family have some peace.
"All you armchair detectives should be ashamed of yourselves."
Another added: "All nasty people here, are you happy now because you've all gone quiet."
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said today: “After 29 constant days of searching the lifeless body of the 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.”
Jay Slater's best friend has broken his silence after Spanish police found human remains in their search for the teen.
Brad Hargreaves, who was on holiday with the 19-year-old, paid tribute to his friend, posting two snaps of the missing teen.
'Nothing be the same without you. Rest easy brother. Love you always,' he wrote, adding a slew of crying emojis.
Jay Slater's mum, Debbie, confirmed a new group of expert investigators had arrived to aid the search this weekend.
"We have been actively working with search and rescue teams and we can now confirm that we have a team of experts flying in over the weekend from the Netherlands, who will carry on the search with their specialist dogs," she wrote on GoFundMe.
"We are only able to fund this with the generosity of all those who donated.
"The team are the Signi Zoekhonden and this has taken lots of planning to get them over, so thank you so much for your kindness."
Tourists will now be charged€28 to visit the remote national park where Jay Slater vanished almost one month ago.
Jay is believed to have become lost in the Rural Parc de Teno in northwest Tenerife.
The fee, which came in on Friday, was introduced as part of conservation measures and will cap visitor numbers at 275 per day.
Tenerife president Rosa Davila said on X: "Tenerife implements the first EcoTasa in the Barranco de Masca starting today, Friday (July 12). This ecological fee will be allocated 100% for conservation work, also allowing us to limit access to 275 people per day.
"Residents in Tenerife will NOT have to pay to access the Masca Ravine. A measure that goes hand in hand with the reopening of the pier and the improvement of the path to guarantee a safe experience for all visitors."
MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden Sarah Smith has offered her support following the discovery of human remains in the search for Jay Slater.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Jay’s family and friends at this time," she wrote on X.
"This is the worst news a parent can ever receive."