British Teen Found Dead in Tenerife After Month-Long Search

LONDON – A tragic conclusion has emerged in the case of Jay Slater, a 19-year-old British teen who went missing for nearly a month on the island of Tenerife. A Spanish court announced on Tuesday that Slater likely died from injuries sustained in a fall while navigating the island's rocky terrain. His remains were identified through fingerprints after being discovered in a rugged area close to his last known location, according to the High Court of Justice. Slater's disappearance prompted extensive search efforts involving Spanish authorities, family, friends, and volunteers. He was last heard from when he called a friend, Lucy Law, expressing his disorientation in the mountains and his urgent need for water, with his phone battery nearly depleted. The trek from Masca, a village in the northwest, to Los Cristianos, where he was staying, would have taken approximately 11 hours on foot. His body was located by the Spanish Civil Guard in a steep and inaccessible area, near the last known location of his mobile phone. Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, England, had attended a music festival the day before he went missing. Law paid tribute to him on Instagram, describing him as "the happiest and most smiley person in the room," and expressed the profound loss felt by those who knew him. In a heartfelt message, Law conveyed her love for Slater, stating, “I’m sure you’ll ‘have your dancing shoes polished and ready’ waiting for us all. Fly high.”