Mail reporter Fred Kelly hiked the 'impenetrable' and 'inaccessible' terrain where Spanish authorities found the body of Jay Slater, and says he understands why it took so long, saying 'steep and inaccessible' is an understatement.
'To my beautiful boy,' begins Debbie Duncan's hand-written tribute to her son Jay Slater. 'I'm so sorry we never found you. I miss you so much.'
The family decorated the memorial with a teddy bear wearing an England jumper and a single candle in a red jar. The following day, a spokesman for the High Court of Justice in the Canary Islands confirmed: 'We have a positive identification and more data, fingerprint tests, show that the body is of Jay Slater.'The Slater family decorated the memorial to their son with a teddy bear wearing an England jumper and a single candle in a red jar
It was eerily quiet. News crews had packed up, police and rescue teams returned to base. In fact, Barranco Juan Lopez was exactly how Jay Slater would have found it in the early hours of Monday June 17, a harsh, empty and unforgiving wilderness. In a statement, the Slaters said they took some 'very small comfort' from the likelihood Jay's death was instantaneous.
The teenager's travel companion Lucy set up the fundraiser on June 20 in order to 'Get Jay Slater Home.' Lucy originally hoped to raise £30,000 but the account now boasts almost double that figure. She confirmed that 'the remaining funds, along with any future donations,' would be used to pay repatriation costs, as well as 'Jay's funeral costs back home'.
Few would disagree with Debbie that her son should also have 'the send-off he deserves' once he is repatriated, but once Jay's funeral costs are considered, it can be assumed there will still be a sizable chunk remaining. 'Today it might feel that the darkness has overcome us,' said Minister Matt Smith, presiding over the ceremony. 'But today we also stand together and say that we will remember Jay. His light will never go out. We will remember him.'
Jay Slater smiles alongside his friends Brandon Hodgkin, left, and Lucy Mae Law, right, at the Hard Rock Cafe hotel in Tenerife
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