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4 months ago
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A body was found in the search for missing teenager Jay Slater yesterday, almost one month after the teenager vanished on the Spanish island of Tenerife.
The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was last seen on the morning of June 17.
Although Spanish police are awaiting full identification, they say that 'everything is pointing to it being' Jay, who they said could have 'suffered an accident or fall in the inaccessible area where he was found'.
Follow live updates below as Jay's 'devastated' family await the post-mortem results and tributes from his friends and family pour in.
Search for Jay continued under 'secrecy order'
Spanish police called off the search after 13 days as helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.
But in its statement on Monday, the force said teams had not stopped searching for Slater every day.
The search for Slater had been carried out 'under a secrecy order from the court in charge of the investigation', LBC reported.
Officials had been 'carrying on with the search, unbeknownst to anyone' in a bid to stop internet sleuths from searching themselves.
'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.
Body found in search yesterday
A body has been found in the hunt for missing British teenager Jay Slater, who vanished on the Spanish island of Tenerife almost a month ago.
Authorities have not yet released the exact location in which they found the body, but it is understood that the remains were discovered in an 'inaccessible' and very remote area near the village of Masca.
The Mirror reported that police found Jay's body a '20-minute walk' from where the teenager's phone last pinged.
The terrain is described as 'dense' and is understood to be full of uneven ground and shrubland. There is also no sign of any emergency services in the nearby village.
The force released video footage of rescuers climbing rock faces and battling through scrub as they carried out the search.
Timeline: Jay Slater's movements up until the discovery of a body yesterday
Jay Slater's best friend pays tribute to 'the happiest and most smiley person'
Jay Slater's best friend has posted an emotional message to the 'happiest and most smiley person' after a body was found near where his phone last pinged.
The teenager had jetted off to Tenerife for an eight-day holiday with his best mates Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves before he vanished.
In a heart-wrenching Instagram post published last night Lucy wrote: 'Honestly lost for words. Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you'll be missed more than you know.
'I'm sure you'll 'have your dancing shoes polished and ready' waiting for us all. We all love you buddy. Fly high.'
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