The body of tragic teenager Jay Slater has arrived in the UK, two months after he disappeared while on holiday in Tenerife, his family have announced. The funeral will be a ‘celebration’ of his life, his family said.
A date has now been set for the 19-year-old’s funeral on Saturday August 10 at the chapel of Accrington Crematorium in Lancashire. The sun defeated.
The service includes a “celebration of life” prior to the burial.
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on the morning of June 17 as he tried to walk back to his holiday home in Los Cristianos, thinking he had taken a shorter route over the mountains.
Before his disappearance, he attended the NRG music festival with two friends. His last known whereabouts were the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Islands, about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
Jay had gone to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out, but the two men who allegedly rented the accommodation were later deemed ‘not relevant’ to the case.
According to Spain’s Guardia Civil, the teenager may have fallen on the steep and difficult-to-access spot where he was found, more than a month after he was reported missing.
A GoFundMe fundraiser originally set up to help find the apprentice mason has were used to repatriate Jay’s body and give him, as his mother Debbie Duncan put it in a plea for further donations, “the send-off he deserves” after he was found last month in the Barranco Juan Lopez valley.
At the time of publication, the fund, set up by his girlfriend Lucy Mae hours after his disappearance, had reached £74,000 of its target of £30,000.
An autopsy in the UK revealed that Jay died of traumatic head injuries caused by a fall from a great height.
His death would have been instantaneous.
The body of tragic teenager Jay Slater has arrived in the UK, two months after he disappeared while on holiday in Tenerife, his family have announced
Jay Slater was found in a ravine in western Tenerife, almost a month after he disappeared after a night out
Details of Jay’s funeral emerged on social media, with attendees asked to wear “something blue in his memory.”
The statement also paid tribute to Jay, who was described as “a loving son”, a keen footballer and a young man who enjoyed meeting new people.
It said: ‘After leaving Rhyddings High School, Jay took up a job as an apprentice bricklayer with the PH Build group and thoroughly enjoyed his job.
‘At the age of 5, Jay started playing football for Huncoat United FC, where he played until he was 17. He also played for the Sunday team at St. Joesph’s for a number of seasons.
He also loved spending time with his friends.
‘Jay’s love for music and dance started at a young age. He loved attending music festivals and events around the country and also enjoyed socializing and meeting new people.
‘A loving son of Debbie and Warren, a beloved brother of Zak and brother-in-law of Jessica, a treasured grandson of Dawn, June and the late Dougie, a much loved nephew of Glen and Katie, a dear cousin of Maddie and Tillie and a loyal friend to many.
‘Jay will be greatly missed by all who knew him.’
A memorial service will be held at Accrington Cemetery Chapel on Saturday 10th August 2024 at 10.30am prior to the burial.
Attendees are also asked to make a donation in lieu of flowers to the charity LBT Global, which provides crisis support to the families of people missing abroad.
