Jay Slater’s preliminary autopsy results have pieced together how the teenager died out in the mountains of Tenerife, with tragic details shedding light on his final moments

The search for Jay Slater came to a tragic end, and now his family face the heartbreaking task of bringing their ‘beautiful boy’ home.

Jay, 19, was first reported missing on June 17, while holidaying with pals in Tenerife, sparking a frantic 29-day search. Sadly, any hopes of finding the apprentice bricklayer alive were dashed when his body was discovered mere metres from his last known location in the Rural de Teno park to the northwest of the island.

Tenerife officials warned that identification and cause of death would take a while to determine, given that the body was ‘very deteriorated’. Now, following Jay’s autopsy results, authorities have pieced together a picture of how exactly the Lancashire teen died, with a tragic finding about his final moments.

Jay Slater
Jay’s body was found in a remote area of Tenerife ( Image: Instagram)
A preliminary autopsy is now complete, and points to the cause of death being ‘a fall or plunge from height due to the broken bones he suffered’. A Civil Guard spokesman stated that Jay’s injuries included several broken bones, stating: “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.”

This comes as a source tells the Mail Online that Jay’s loved ones have found some ‘very small comfort’ from the likelihood that Jay’s death had been instantaneous. Following the formal identification of Jay’s body, his bereaved mother Debbie released the following statement: “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. I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”

Now Jay’s family faces yet another agonising wait as they hope to fly back home to the UK with his body, after receiving the news they dreaded most. Heartbroken mum Debbie Duncan is appealing for funeral donations, on the fundraising page once used to aid the desperate search, in the hope of giving her beloved son ‘the send-off he deserves’.