How Spanish police 'discreetly' continued looking for Jay Slater's body after publicly calling off search
15 July 2024, 14:11 | Updated: 15 July 2024, 15:17
Spanish police "discreetly" continued the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater despite publicly announcing the hunt had ended, a reporter at a newspaper based in Tenerife has claimed.
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On Monday, the Spanish Civil Guard located a body in the village of Masca - almost a month after the 19-year-old went missing.
Chris Elkington, the Editor of the Canarian Weekly, told LBC the search for the missing Brit was carried out "under a secrecy order from the court in charge of the investigation".
He said: "They were actually carrying on with the search, unbeknownst to anyone," in order to stop amateur sleuths from joining the hunt.
He told Jim Diamond that official identification and an autopsy would take place later this week.
In a statement, Spanish police said initial investigations suggest Slater succumbed to "an accident or fall".
Formal identification of the body is yet to take place, but Slater's possessions and clothes were found alongside the remains, a missing persons organisation said.
The remains were found in the village of Masca, not far from the £40-a-night two-bedroom Airbnb where he was staying when he vanished - a remote cottage called Case Abuela Tina, meaning Grandma Tina's house.
Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared after setting off back to his accommodation from the NRG music festival which he had attended with two friends.
His last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: “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 or fall in the area where he was found.”
"Thanks to the incessant and constant search carried out by the different units of the Civil Guard, in which they have not stopped searching for the young man every day in the Masca area, where he had allegedly disappeared, this morning GREIM agents, Mountain specialists, have found the lifeless body of the young man in a very inaccessible area."
Following the discovery, missing persons charity LBT Global said possessions and clothes were found alongside the discovered body, which was also near the last location of his mobile phone.
LBT Global said: “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."
Just yesterday Slater's mother spoke of her “heartache” and criticised “awful comments and conspiracy theories”, a month on from his disappearance.
In a statement released through British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global on Sunday, Debbie Duncan said the family was “desperate to find our beautiful boy”.
She Sunday: “As we approach four weeks of our beautiful Jay’s disappearance, we cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family.“Jay is a typical young man who loves life, with a bright future ahead of him. This month will mark the end of his three-year apprenticeship with the world at his feet.
“He is loved by everyone and has a close bond with his family and many, many friends.”
Ms Duncan said the family wished to thank the public for “their continued support and well wishes” and praised the British Embassy and police for “doing all they can to support us”.
But she also criticised “awful comments and conspiracy theories” posted on social media, which she branded “vile” and said were “hindering” people trying to help locate the teenager.
Tenerife’s Guardia Civil called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
The GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home has raised more than £50,000 and Ms 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.
The search in the village of Masca, near Mr Slater’s last-known location, took place in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.
Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca and the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case, according to reports.
