NEWS
No parent should have to go through this đJay Slaterâs mum âwants to see son one last timeâ as parents make heartbreaking decision
Jay Slaterâs mum has said she âwants to seeâ her son âone last timeâ after police confirmed the body they found fallen on rocky terrain was the missing teenagerâs.
However, a family spokesperson said they are ânot sure thatâs a memoryâ Debbie Duncan âwill wantâ. Debbieâs son was discovered dead âafter the best part of a monthâ having disappeared in Tenerife
Spanish authorities announced that human remains had been found in the Masca area of Tenerife at around 10am on Monday, four weeks after the 19-year-old went missing. A post-mortem confirmed a body found in the search for is that of the missing teen.
A family spokesman told The Sun: âFormal identification of Jayâs body will be done using a DNA sample provided by the family to the Spanish Guardia Civil during the early stages of the search. 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 thatâs a personal voice but given heâs been there the best part of a month in those conditions, Iâm not sure thatâs a memory she will want.â
A court spokesperson in Tenerife said fingerprints confirmed the body to be Jay, who was discovered alongside his clothes and personal belongings. A source close to the family, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, said: âDebbie is completely devastated. Itâs the news theyâve all been dreading.
âShe has a lot of questions which she hopes will be answered in the coming days. It hasnât completely sunk in yet. The hardest thing for her is to hear he was found so close to the original search site. Itâs hard to take. It means itâs entirely possible they have walked past his body whilst searching for him.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard said: âAfter 29 constant days of searching the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area. The discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard over these 29 days.â
Jay had disappeared on June 17 after he decided to walk back to his accommodation alone through the rural Masca village. Helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed as pressure mounted to locate the teen.
After the heartbreaking confirmation that Jayâs body had been found, his mum Debbie shared a statement saying the familyâs âhearts are brokenâ. In a statement issue through charity LBT Global, Debbie said: âI just canât believe it â weâre here with the embassy staff waiting for an update and now itâs come â the worst news