JAY Slater’s family believe the teen was killed instantly after a horror fall in Tenerife.
Searchers discovered a body in a ravine on Monday – four weeks after Jay, 19, disappeared while on holiday with pals.
Police said “everything is pointing” to the body being Jay’s – and initial evidence suggests he tragically died after an “accidental fall”.
Jay’s family also believe the Brit teen “fell from height” and was “killed instantly”.
What we know…
A family spokesman told Mail Online: “The whole family is absolutely broken. They are devastated. It’s not the outcome they were hoping for.
“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.”
He said the family “appreciate the remoteness” of the area and “there is no criticism of the search”.
While the body has not been formally identified as Jay’s, his family expect the remains to be repatriated within a “week or so” – and a post-mortem to take place in both Tenerife and back in the UK.
Jay was first reported missing the morning after he travelled to the unforgiving mountainous area of Tenerife in the early hours of June 17.
He went to stay at an Airbnb with two men after a night of partying.
He then left in the morning where he tried to do an 11-hour trek back to his own accommodation after missing the bus.
Jay made a final frantic call to friend Lucy Mae Law to say he was lost, had one per cent phone battery, and needed water.
In an earlier call to friend Brad Hargreaves, his feet could be heard slipping on the rocks.
Police combed the area in the south of the island for 12 days using a helicopter, drones and dogs.
On June 29, Spanish cops axed the official search – and body was then discovered on Monday in the area Jay was last known to have been.
THE grim discovery of a body comes after weeks of agony for Jay’s friends and family. Here is how the events unfolded:
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party at the last day of NRG music festival being held at Papagayo night club in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay leaves with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 23 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat standing at doorway of the Airbnb.
8.50am: He calls pal Lucy Mae Law and says he is “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Pals search area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan flies to Tenerife.
June 19-20: Spanish police deploy drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no trace. Search moves to Los Cristianos amid possible sighting, but it is ruled out and they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but it is declined.
June 22: Mum Debbie issues emotional appeal to Jay saying “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near to where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues plea for her son to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams- Thomas joins search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and other man at Airbnb, out of investigation.
June 30: Spanish cops officially suspend hunt but say probe “remains open”. His family continue to search.
Yesterday: A body is found by helicopter search team close to where his phone last pinged. His possessions are discovered next to human remains. Spanish cops say it points to an “accidental fall”.
A spokesman said: “Everything is pointing to the body being that of the young British man who disappeared on June 17, pending full identification.”
They added the search was “complicated” due to the “very difficult terrain”.
It’s understood the body was found close to where Jay’s phone last pinged – along with his belongings and clothes.
But Spanish cops have refused to reveal the exact location where the body was found.
Dramatic footage showed rescue workers using a helicopter to reach an “inaccessible” ravine and recover the body.
Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan, 55, is said to be “totally devastated” – and demanding answers over how police search teams missed the body.
A family source said: “It’s the news they have been dreading. She has lots of questions.”
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said they had been notified that a body was found – and “the indications are that this is Jay Slater”.
They added: “While at this stage no formal identification has been carried out our thoughts are very much with Jay’s family at this time, and we continue to offer them our support.”
An autopsy is expected to take place in the next couple of days in the northern Tenerife city of La Laguna.
Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know
Lucy Mae Law
In a heartbreaking Instagram post, pal Lucy: “Honestly lost for words.
“Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know.
“I’m sure you’ll ‘have your dancing shoes polished and ready’ waiting for us all.
“We all love you buddy. Fly high.”
Lucy, 18, shared the message alongside a string of images and videos of the pals together over the years.
An account apparently belonging to Brad wrote: “No words. Nothing will be the same without you. Rest easy brother. Love you always.”
The shock news on Monday came hours after Jay’s family had marked four weeks since he disappeared.
Mum Debbie had said: “We cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family. We are just a normal family desperate to find our beautiful boy.”
Jay’s family are being support by British Embassy officials.
