The mother of British teenager Jay Slater has said “our hearts are broken” after a Spanish court confirmed his death and said his multiple injuries were consistent with a fall in a rocky area.
The Canary Islands High Court of Justice confirmed the identity of the body with the use of fingerprint technology after the remains were found near the village of Masca in Tenerife on Monday.
A spokesman for the court said the post-mortem examination report determined that the injuries he sustained were consistent with an accidental fall.
In a statement issued through charity LBT Global, Mr Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan said: “I just can’t believe it – we’re here with the embassy staff waiting for an update and now it’s come – the worst news.”
She added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
The charity previously said the remains were found with the 19-year-old’s clothes and possessions near his last known location.
The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.
Matthew Searle, from LBT Global, said the charity was working with the family to sort out the next steps of taking his body home and the recovery of his belongings.
Following the discovery, Mr Slater’s friend Lucy Law, who was the last known person to speak to him during a phone call on June 17, issued a tribute on her Instagram page.
She said: “Honestly lost for words.
“Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was (sic) 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.”
The Spanish Civil Guard released video footage of rescuers climbing rock faces and battling through scrub as they carried out the search.
Part of the clip showed two members of the search team being winched out of the area by helicopter after the body had been found and recovered.
Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out, but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.
Spanish police said they had called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
