The family of Jay Slater have been left "devastated" and "absolutely broken" after post-mortem tests confirmed that a body found in rugged Tenerife terrain is the missing teen.
Debbie Duncan with her son, Jay Slater, who vanished in Tenerife. Credit: Facebook
On Tuesday (July 16), a spokesperson for the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands confirmed to Sky News and BBC News that the body found in Tenerife amid the search for a missing UK teenager is Jay Slater.
The court official revealed that, during a post-mortem on Tuesday (July 16), is was confirmed that the body's fingerprints were examined and proved that is was 19-year-old Jay.
"We have a positive identification and more data: fingerprint tests show that the body is [that] of Jay Slater and that the death was caused by trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area," a statement from the court said.
BBC News reports that a statement from the court added that Jay's death was caused by "trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area".
Dozens of troops joined the search for Slater. Credit: Europa Press News / Getty
The tragic news comes more than four weeks after Jay was reported missing by his friend Lucy Mae Law, with whom he was vacationing with on the island as part of the NRG music festival.
Following the news that a body was discovered in the search for Jay, a spokesperson for the apprentice bricklayer's family has shared a statement with the MailOnline.
"The whole family is absolutely broken. They are devastated. It's not the outcome they were hoping for," the spokesperson said.
"Initially, they thought, how could he be so close and yet be missed? But now having seen the location, they appreciate the remoteness of it and there is no criticism of the search.
"It looks as if he fell from a height, so he would most likely have been killed instantly and he wasn't there for a long time.
“There will be a PM [post-mortem] in Tenerife and probably one in the UK, and repatriation should be within a week or so, it's all time-dependent."
Jay Slater had been missing since June 17. Credit: Instagram
Jay went missing on June 17 in Tenerife, the morning after attending the NRG musical festival with his friends.
The evening before, Jay - along with his friends Lucy Maw Law and Brad Hargreaves - had attended an event at the Papagayo beach club in the resort of Playa de la Americas.
But tather than of heading back to their shared accommodation that night, Jay went on a car journey to the village of Masca with two men he had met several days prior on the island.
The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen by a cafe owner in the village of Masca.
According to her account, the teenager had inquired about bus schedules but opted not to wait for a service that would arrive in two hours. After making this decision, he was seen walking out of the village.
Shortly after 8:00AM that morning, Jay called Lucy Mae and explained that he was thirsty, his phone battery was on one percent, and that he was going to walk the 10-hour journey back to their accommodation. She reported him missing less than an hour later.
Following weeks of searching, on July 15, a statement from the Civil Guard confirmed that a body had been found.
"The mountain rescue and intervention group of the Civil Guard has located the lifeless body of a young man in the Masca area after 29 days of constant search," the statement read.
"Given the complexity of the case, the discovery has been 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 curious onlookers.
"All indications indicate that it could be the young British man who has been missing since June 17 in the absence of full identification.
"The first investigations reveal that he could have suffered an accident or fall in the inaccessible area where he was found."
Our thoughts continue to go out to Jay's family and loved ones at this time.