Jay Slater’s mum urges more donations to give him ‘send-off he deserves’
Jay Slater’s mother has asked for more donations so that she can give the teenager the “send-off he deserves” as she tries to repatriate his body back to the UK.
Debbie Duncan is still on the Spanish island of Tenerife after her 19-year-old son’s remains were found on Monday near the village of Masca.
In a statement released on Thursday on the ‘Get Jay Slater Home’ GoFundMe page, she said: “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.”
She added: “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.”
Mr Slater went missing after he attended the NRG music festival with two friends, 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 after a night out, but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case.
Spanish police said they had called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
His remains were found on Monday, with a Spanish court confirming his death and saying his multiple injuries were consistent with a fall in a rocky area.
The Canary Islands High Court of Justice confirmed the identity of the body through fingerprints.
A spokesman for the court said the post-mortem examination report determined that the injuries he sustained were consistent with an accidental fall.
The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.
Matthew Searle, from LBT Global, said the charity was working with the family to sort out the next steps of taking his body home and the recovery of his belongings.
After the discovery of his body, Ms Duncan said: “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.”
She added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”
