This is the hazardous area where a body was found during the search for Jay Slater

Footage has emerged of the thickly forested ‘inaccessible area’ where a body believed to be missing teen Jay Slater was found on Monday.

Rescue teams shared a clip of a densely-wooded area surrounded by steep, rocky cliffs close to the AirBnb in Mesca, Tenerife, where 19-year-old Slater was last seen on June 16.

Although formal identification is yet to take place, the body was found alongside Slater’s clothes and possession and Spanish police have said ‘all the evidence’ suggests the remains are those of ‘the young British man who disappeared’.

It is thought the victim, whose body had to be airlifted out of the area, died after suffering an accident or fall in the inaccessible area.

In their first comments so far since the grim police discovery yesterday, Spanish officials representing the female investigating judge in the town of Masca said: ‘In reference to the British citizen Jay Slater, the autopsy with the full identification of the body and the causes of death will take time, because the body was very deteriorated.

‘But there is very little doubt about both the identity and the etiology. The documentation he was carrying corresponds to that of Jay Slater and everything is pointing to an accidental fall, although that is unofficial pending the final reports.’

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity as is normal in Spain, said: ‘The court is saying the official identification will not be known until next week.’

Following the discovery, Jay’s grief-stricken mum Debbie Duncan has since demanded to know how police missed the body during their two-week search of the area.

Following the discovery, Jay’s heartbroken mum is now demanding answers over how police missed the body during their two-week search of the area.

‘Debbie is completely devastated,’ a family source told the Sun.

‘It’s the news they’ve all been dreading. She has a lot of questions which she hopes will be answered in the coming days.

‘It hasn’t completely sunk in yet. The hardest thing for her is to hear he was found so close to the original search site. It’s hard to take.

‘It means it’s entirely possible they have walked past his body whilst searching for him.

‘It seems incredible so many people walked that area and yet he was so close. As we have seen with mountainous terrain and ravines, it does happen — no matter how hard that is to believe.’

The Guardia Civil said in its statement: ‘After 29 constant days of searching, the lifeless body of the young man has been found in the Masca area.

‘Given the complexity of the case the discovery has been possible thanks to the tireless and discreet search . . . in which the natural space was preserved.

“The large-scale operation involving multiple units had been suspended but, as we always said, we never stopped looking for Jay.

‘The mountain rescue group continued looking for the missing man when they were on duty.

‘We’ve always said the terrain is very difficult and the search was complicated.’

Slater went missing on June 16 after attending an after-party at a remote AirBnB following a night partying at a music festival in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.

After leaving the property at around 8:30 am, he called his friend Lucy Mae Law and told her he is ‘lost in the middle of nowhere’ with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone. It was the last time he was ever heard from.

A huge search team was deployed in a desperate attempt to find the missing teen, but was suspended two weeks later on June 29 after failing to locate him.

Early in the search, Jay’s family were joined in Tenerife by former police detective Mark Williams-Thomas who assisted the local authorities with their efforts.

Speaking to the Mirror about the search team’s difficulty in finding him, Mr William-Thomas said: ‘Three weeks ago, I met with the family and said I and my team would do all we could to get them answers. 

The initial review of the evidence strongly indicated Jay would be found in the mountains, having taken a path from where his last location drop was sent, however like any investigation it is always important to remain open minded and thoroughly investigate no information that comes in.’

He added: ‘The area where the body was found was highlighted yesterday afternoon with the search and rescue helicopter in the area, it is around a 20 minutes walk from the pin drop location. 

‘The terrain is rough and hazardous and having now seen the video of the search team on Monday morning and that the helicopter was in the same area on Sunday afternoon where the body was recovered, it is clear to see just how treacherous and dangerous it is – a slip or loss of footing would prove fatal.’

A family spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘The whole family is absolutely broken. They are devastated. It’s not the outcome they were hoping for. Initially they thought how could he be so close and yet be missed but now having seen the location they appreciate the remoteness of it and there is no criticism of the search.

‘It looks as if he fell from a height so he would most likely have been killed instantly and he wasn’t there for a long time. There will be a PM [post-mortem] in Tenerife and probably one in the UK and repatriation should be within a week or so it’s all time dependent.’

The family are currently being supported by British Embassy officials. A post-mortem is expected to take place in the next 48 hours.

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