The heartbreaking reason that Jay Slater’s family wanted to pinpoint exactly where he died

After the family of British teenager Jay Slater were given the heartbreaking detail of how he likely died they still had unanswered questions.

It was on Monday, July 15 that police recovered 19-year-old Jay’s body from a ravine in a mountainous region of Tenerife. His body revealed that he had suffered multiple injuries consistent with an accidental fall from a considerable height.

But the family were still seeking answers - and as Spanish police did not reveal exactly where Jay’s body was found, they sent a Dutch search crew Signi Zoekhonden to find the spot for them.

A source revealed they returned on behalf of the family so they could fully understand the geography of where Jay’s body was found, reports The Sun.

The location where Jay fell to his death was identified by their Belgian Malinois dog, Flex and they took pictures and videos for the family. They reportedly also wanted to know where Jay had fallen so they could place flowers there, says WalesOnline.

However, the leader of the group warned it was such a treacherous location that this would not be advisable.

Esther van Neerbos said: “Every case is sad, it’s particularly difficult for mothers, it is never nice to have to search for a young child,” reports The Sun.

She added: "Jay was a very young guy, he did very well to get as far as he got. The place where he was found is a very dry, small valley, very difficult to get into.”

The group posted to Facebook: “On Sunday evening, July 14, 2024, a team of Signi search dogs landed on Tenerife to search for 19-year-old Jay from England, who has been missing for three weeks.

“In the evening, the team received the scent source from Jay's parents so they could start early in the morning.

“The team with the dogs picked up Jay's tracks at the Airbnb he left and in the valley where the last phone poll was, just before the phone went dead.

“Around noon the dogs were given a rest to avoid the high temperatures. During that break the message came in that a body had been found. Where was still unclear.

“Later that day, Signi's Snelle continued the trail to the location, where it later turned out that Jay had been lifted up by helicopter.”

The Slaters were advised not to view Jay's body in the morgue - which Tenerife officials had stated was "very deteriorated". The family has reportedly found some small comfort after learning Jay likely died instantly, and so would not have suffered.

Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last seen walking alone on Monday morning, June 17, as he departed an Airbnb for what is a 10-hour trek through rugged, isolated terrain towards his friends' location in the south of the island. 

But his movements after approximately 8.30am on Monday were unknown, sparking a huge operation to find him. The final known location of his phone was at Rural de Teno Park, a mountainous nature reserve.