‘We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves’
Jay Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, has made an emotional plea for more donations to help fund her son’s funeral.
Earlier this week, Spanish police confirmed a body found on Monday in the search for the 19-year-old was that of Slater.
The Civil Guard’s mountain rescue group had located the “lifeless body of a young man in the Masca area after 29 days of constant search,” close to his last known location.
A court statement said “everything suggests that it was an accidental fall” but the results of the official investigation into his death would take more time.
Paying tribute to her son, who went missing on June 17, Duncan said the confirmation of his death was the “worst news.”
She said in a statement: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.
“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.”
Sky News reports that Duncan – who had flown to Tenerife last month to help search for Slater – was told the news while she was at the British Embassy waiting for an update.
In an update on a GoFundMe page initially set up to raise money to fund the search for Slater, Duncan said any future donations would be used so that the family could give him “the send-off he deserves.”
She wrote: “Hello everyone, thank you for all of your kindness, support and condolences in light of the tragic news that Jay’s body has been found. We are overwhelmed with grief and are so grateful for your support.
“The wonderful team from the Netherlands, Signi Zoekhondon, have remained in Spain all week and have continued to support us since Jay was found. They are due to fly home in the coming days and we are so appreciative of their dedication and support.
“We would like to thank LBT Global for their support during this impossible time. We are working with agencies to arrange Jay’s repatriation to the UK and the remaining funds, along with any future donations will be used to help with this if needed and to pay for Jay’s funeral costs back home. We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves so please do continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can.”
At the time of writing, £60,744 has been raised on the page.
Slater had been missing since June 17, when he disappeared after attending the NRG music festival at Playa da las Americas.
After a night out on the 17th, he travelled 30km to the north of the island with some people he had befriended to their rented accommodation.
He was last heard from at around 08:00 GMT on June 17 when he phoned friend Lucy Law, telling her he had missed a bus back to his own accommodation and had tried to walk the 10-hour journey but was lost in Rural de Teno Park.
He said he needed water and only had one per cent battery left on his phone.
His phone then cut off, and his last known location was shown as the Rural de Teno Park.
Rescue efforts centred on the national park, situated on the other side of Tenerife to where Slater and his friends were staying.
For two weeks, the Guardia Civil conducted an extensive search of the remote, mountainous area north-west of the island where Slater’s was last seen.
Local police ended up calling off their search effort on June 30, but their investigation remained open.
