Jay Slater's grieving mom has expressed her heartbreak over her late son, leaving a touching tribute close to the spot where the teen's body was found.
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, the body's fingerprints were examined and confirmed to be those of 19-year-old Jay.
Officials from the Canary Islands High Court of Justice confirmed that Jay’s remains were identified through fingerprint analysis.
"We have a positive ID... Fingerprinting confirms that the body belongs to Jay Slater," stated a court spokesperson. A Civil Guard representative added that Jay’s injuries, including several broken bones, were consistent with a fall.
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"The result of the preliminary autopsy points to the cause of death being a fall or plunge from height due to the broken bones he suffered," she said.
As reported by the Metro, floral tributes have been placed near the ravine where Jay was located, with heartfelt messages from his mother Debbie Duncan, his father Walter Slater, and his brother Zak.
“To my beautiful boy. I’m so sorry we never found you. I miss you so much. You will be forever young and forever missed. Love you so much, Mum,” wrote Duncan.
Slater's note read, “To my Boy, Love Dad, Always, XXXX.”
Zak, who spent weeks searching for Jay in Tenerife, left a note addressed to his "little bro," saying: "never in a million years did I think I’d be doing this."
He added: “I’ll look after mum and dad. Hope you’re partying up there with granddad. Hope to see you again some day. Rest easy bro, I love you, Zak XX.”
Plans are being made to repatriate Jay’s body to the UK, where a second post-mortem is expected to be conducted by a Home Office pathologist.
An emotional vigil was held in Jay’s hometown of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, where friends gathered at the West End Methodist Church to release dozens of blue balloons in his memory.
The balloons carried messages such as "you’ll be missed" and "fly high Jay," with some emblazoned with the number 19, Jay’s age.
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Pam Kierons, Jay’s former football coach, was among those who paid their respects at the church.
She told The Mirror: “I’m devastated for the family, devastated for Debbie. The outcome is not what anyone wanted, but at least they can bring his body home.
“It’s disgusting that people have dug into past issues and come up with crazy conspiracy theories. Sadly the most likely thing to have happened has happened.”
