By Angela Ferguson, BBC News, Lancashire • Kara O’Neill, BBC News
Family handout
A friend of Jay Slater has paid tribute to “the happiest and most smiley person in the room” after a body was found during the search for him on Tenerife.
Lucy Law, who was the last known person to speak to Mr Slater during a phone call on 17 June, paid tribute to him on her Instagram page.
She said: “Honestly lost for words. Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was (sic) one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know.”
The 19-year-old’s family are awaiting news of a post-mortem examination following the discovery of a body near the last known location of the missing teenager’s mobile phone.
Spanish police said that “all evidence” pointed to the body being that of Mr Slater.
They released video footage of rescuers climbing rock faces and battling through scrub as they had carried out the search.
Part of the clip showed two members of the search team being winched out of the area by helicopter after the body had been found.
They said Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.
Ms Law’s tribute continued: “I’m sure you’ll ‘have your dancing shoes polished and ready’ waiting for us all.
“We all love you buddy. Fly high.”
Reuters
Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, 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.
The search for Mr Slater has involved his family, friends, police and specialist mountain rescue teams, along with volunteers from several countries including a group of Dutch mountain rescuers.
LBT Global, which supports the families of British people missing overseas, said that although formal identification was yet to be carried out, “the body was found with Mr Slater’s possessions and clothes”.
It added: “A post-mortem examination and forensic inquiries will follow.”
Residents of Mr Slater’s home town have offered their support and prayers to Mr Slater’s family.
Rev Matt Smith from West End Methodist Church said: “Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. We’re here and supporting them for when they need us.”
Blue ribbons have been tied to trees and lamp posts across in Oswaldtwistle and on the railings outside the church to show support for the family.
Rev Smith said the church would be opening from 19:00 to 20:00 BST “to give them that opportunity to come together and to just share their feelings, their thoughts and their prayers with each other”.
He said the church would be open for people to say prayers, write messages, light a candle and “for people just to come and be here and for us to serve the community for them”.
One member of the community in Oswaldtwistle told BBC Radio Lancashire: “I think it’s hit the community hard round here because obviously he’s a local lad and he’s well known.
“I feel sorry for the family going through this.”
