Spanish authorities have confirmed that the body found a day earlier in a remote area on the island of Tenerife is that of missing British teenager Jay Slater and that the injuries sustained indicate an accidental fall.
“We have a positive identification… Fingerprints confirm that the body belongs to Jay Slater and that death was due to multiple trauma consistent with a fall in the mountainous region,” a court spokesman said.
The same spokesman had previously stated that it would take several days for the autopsy results to be available.
Slater’s mother Debbie issued a statement through LBT Global, the UK’s charity for missing people abroad, confirming the “worst news”.
“I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy,” the statement said.
“Our hearts are broken.”
The body was found on Monday morning by a mountain rescue team of the Guardia Civil.
Slater, 19, disappeared on June 17 and his phone was last tracked to the Masca Gorge in a remote national park in the Canary Islands.
The remains were found among Slater’s belongings and clothing and are believed to have been discovered near the last location of his cellphone, LBT Global said on Monday.
Matthew Searle, chief executive of LBT Global, which has issued several statements on behalf of the family, said it would assist with the repatriation of Slater’s body and belongings and arrange the funeral.
“Of course, the family will face many more hurdles in the coming days and we will work with them to make this terrible time as comfortable as possible,” he said.