Tenerife residents say Canary Islands secret ‘may’ explain Jay Slater’s death

Tenerife residents have explained how a dark secret in the ravine where he was found “may” explain his disappearance. The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, may have fallen into the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.

Helena Gomes, 35, said: “You see how bad it is, we didn’t even walk there so if anyone gets into trouble it will be hard for anyone to find the body. No one is surprised it took so long, why he was there is a mystery, he should never have gone that way, maybe he saw the ocean and thought it was the best way.

“We feel so bad for his family but we are so proud of those who found him, they never gave up.” Jim Scanlon, 56, from Dunfermline, told The Mirror: “You can’t believe how deadly it can be to be here, it’s so beautiful and inviting. Reading about it before we went I couldn’t quite get my head around the geography, but when you see it in person you see how brutal it is.

READ MORE Jay Slater’s mum tells ‘how’ and ‘has questions’ as body found after 29 days

“I’m just not surprised it took rescuers so long to find him. I’m going to say a little prayer for Jay and his mom before I leave.” This comes as Jay’s mother said she “wants to see” her son “one last time” after police confirmed the body they found lying on rocky ground was that of the missing teen.

However, a family spokesman said they were “not sure if this is a memory” Debbie Duncan “will want”. Debbie’s son was found dead “after the best part of a month” being missing in Tenerife.

A family spokesperson told The Sun: “Formal identification of Jay’s body will be made using a DNA sample provided by the family to the Spanish Guardia Civil during the initial stages of the search. There should be no need for the family to have to carry out a formal identification. Debbie has said she wants to see him one last time.

“Obviously, that’s a personal opinion, but considering he was there for the better part of a month in those conditions, I’m not sure that’s a memory she’ll want to have.”