JAY Slater’s mum said “our hearts are broken” after her “beautiful” son was found dead in Tenerife.
The Brit teenager’s body was found on Monday – just yards from his last known location four weeks ago.
On Tuesday, a Tenerife court identified his body by fingerprint analysis and said he had suffered multiple injuries.
Jay’s distraught mum Debbie Duncan, 55, wept after being told of her son’s death, describing it as the “worst news”.
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She added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
Charity LBT Global, who are supporting the family, said Debbie was “lost for words” after the Spanish court delivered the news she had been dreading.
The teenager’s death was caused by “trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area”, the Canary Islands High Court of Justice said.
A spokesman said: “We have a positive ID… fingerprinting confirms that the body belongs to Jay Slater and the death was due to multiple traumas compatible with a fall in the mountainous area.”
Spanish police recovered Jay’s body from a steep ravine in Masca on Monday after 29 days
Officials said the body was “very deteriorated” and documents found with it were Jay’s.
A Civil Guard spokesman said Jay’s injuries included several broken bones.
She said: “The body of the man located yesterday has been identified of that as Jay Slater through fingerprint comparison and identification.
“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.”
LBT Global said the teenager’s belongings were also found near the body.
Dramatic footage showed the moment a helicopter crewman was winched into the chasm with his arms aloft in the delicate recovery operation.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay vanished in Tenerife on June 17 – sparking a huge effort to find the Lancashire teen.
I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken
Debbie Duncan
He had gone with two men to their Airbnb in the north of the Canary Island after leaving a music festival at a nightclub.
As he attempted the 11-hour walk back to his own accommodation through the rough and rocky terrain, it is feared accidentally fell.
Debbie and dad Warren Slater, 58, jetted to the island and have been battling for answers.
They got the news they were dreading on Monday when Spanish police revealed a body had been located.
His devastated mum Debbie said she wanted to see her beloved son one more time.
A family spokesman told The Sun: “There should be no need for the family to have to perform a formal identification.
“Debbie has said she wants to see him one last time.
“Obviously that’s a personal voice but given he’s been there the best part of a month in those conditions, I’m not sure that’s a memory she will want.”
The family believe Jay was “killed instantly” after a “fall from height”.
Arrangements are being made to repatriate the body to the UK where a second post-mortem is likely to be carried out by a Home Office pathologist.
A court in the town of Icod de los Vinos, which covers the area of Masca where the body was found, is in charge of the ongoing investigation.
Jay vanished without a trace on holiday with friends Brad Hargreaves and Lucy Mae Law.
He had gone in the early hours with two men to their Airbnb in the north of the Canary Island after leaving a music festival at a nightclub.
Later that morning he called Lucy from near remote Masca village to say he was thirsty and his phone battery was nearly dead.
His mobile cut out at 8.50am near a hiking trail in the Rural de Teno national park — an 11-hour trek from his apartment in the south of the island.
Police combed the area for 12 days using a helicopter, drones and dogs.
Although the full search was suspended on June 29, Jay’s dad Warren Slater, 58, and brother Zak, 24, continued to scour the area most days.
And the investigation continued in private as Spanish cops feared amateur sleuths would hinder the probe.
They wanted to keep their work more private as they refused to add to the “circus” caused by trolls and wannabe sleuths, police sources told The Sun.
