Body found in Tenerife likely to be missing British teenager
On Monday, 15 July, the Spanish police announced that the teams searching for the missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife for a month had found a body. Evidence strongly suggests the remains belong to the 19-year-old, according to the officers.
15 July 2024 17:01
Rescue teams that have been looking for 19-year-old Briton Jay Slater since 17 June discovered the body of a young man. Local police reported that the body was found in the Masca area, where the Briton disappeared.
A police statement stated that "preliminary evidence" indicates the found person "had an accident/fell in an inaccessible area." No other details were provided.
Agents of the Civil Guard belonging to the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM) discovered the body of a young man this morning in the Masca area, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte. He might have died as a result of an accidental fall off a cliff, and due to the exceptionally mountainous terrain where the body was found, - the police said in an official statement.
The search for Jay Slater began on the day he went missing—17 June. The 19-year-old called his friend Lucy in a panic, telling her that he had gone for a hike in the mountains. He said he didn't have water, got lost, and had 1% battery left on his phone. Then he disappeared.
The police searched for the young man for two weeks. On 30 June, the local Guardia Civil announced that they were calling off the search but not closing the investigation. The missing man's family, who flew to Tenerife, continued the search. Numerous volunteers, detectives, and Dutch mountain rescuers assisted them.
It is not known whether the body found on Monday, 15 July, belongs to the missing Jay Slater. The police reported that they had not yet conducted a full identification of the body.