LAST UPDATE | 15 Jul

A BODY HAS been found by Spanish police searching for missing British teenager Jay Slater, it has been reported.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared after setting off to walk back to his accommodation on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife on 17 June.

In a widely reported statement, Spanish police said a body had been found in the Masca area by the Civil Guard’s mountain rescue team.

The statement said evidence suggested the remains were those of Jay and that he could have died because of an accidental fall.

On Sunday his mother Debbie Duncan said the family was “desperate to find our beautiful boy” in a statement released through British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global.

Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca, and the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.

The search in the village of Masca, near Mr Slater’s last-known location, took place in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.

His family endured conspiracy theories and “awful comments” being posted online during the search for the apprentice bricklayer, but supporters had raised £50,000 to help fund the hunt for the teenager.

In a statement, LBT Global said: “LBT Global is saddened to announce that a body found in Tenerife does look to be that of Jay Slater. It is understood the body was found close to the site of his mobile phone’s last location.

“Although formal identification is yet to be carried out, the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes. A post-mortem examination and forensic enquiries will follow.

“LBT Global are supporting the family at this distressing time and ask for everyone to afford them space and privacy to come to terms with the news,” it said.

Tenerife’s Guardia Civil said on Monday that officers are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to confirm that Slater died as a result of an accident.

Spanish police called off the search at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.

But in its statement on Monday, the force said teams had not stopped searching every day.

“The discovery was possible thanks to the incessant and discreet search carried out by the Civil Guard during these 29 days, in which the natural space was preserved so that it would not be filled with onlookers,” its statement read.