Jay Slater's preliminary autopsy confirms more heartbreaking details about his death

Jay Slater's preliminary autopsy has revealed devastating details about his death.

The 19-year-old from Lancashire in the UK had disappeared on June 17 while abroad in Tenerife with friends.

Prior to going missing, Slater attended a rave with friends before heading to a remote Airbnb with two older men. After leaving the property the following morning, he set off back to his own accommodation but never made it.

The teenager was missing for weeks as his distraught family searched for him before his body was discovered in a ravine on July 15 - almost a month after his disappearance.

Jay Slater had been missing since June 17. Credit: Instagram

Officials found human remains in the mountains near the village of Masca, which was just a 20-minute walk from the last location where Slater's phone had pinged in Tenerife.

Police said in a statement via Sky News: "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.

"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."

Human remains were discovered in the village of Masca. Credit: Europa Press News / Getty

Slater was identified through fingerprint analysis. "We have a positive identification and more data: fingerprint tests show that the body is [that] of Jay Slater," a court spokesperson said, as cited by BBC.

A preliminary autopsy is now complete and reveals heartbreaking details about the teen's final moments and cause of death.

"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," a Civil Guard representative said, per Daily Mail.

This revelation comes as an insider told the outlet that Slater's family has found some "very small comfort" from the likelihood that his death had been instantaneous. 

The body of Jay Slater was found on July 15. Credit: Handout

Slater's heartbroken mom, Debbie Duncan, issued a statement three days after it was confirmed that her son tragically died on the Spanish island.

She wrote on the official GoFundMe fundraising page: "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.

"The wonderful team from The Netherlands, Signi Zoekhondon, have remained in Spain all week and have continued to support us since Jay was found," she continued. "They are due to fly home in the coming days and we are so appreciative of their dedication and support."

Debbie thanked LBT Global "for their support during this impossible time," and asked supporters for more donations to help fund her teenager's funeral.

"We are working with agencies to arrange Jay's repatriation to the UK and the remaining funds, along with any future donations will be used to help with this if needed and to pay for Jay’s funeral costs back home," she said. "We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves so please do continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can."

Featured image credit: Instagram