Mark Williams-Thomas, an investigator with numerous TV credits, has spoken out for the first time since returning to the UK after Jay Slater’s body was found.
Earlier this week, officials confirmed the body of the 19-year-old had been found on the Spanish island of Tenerife after a month-long search.
Williams-Thomas jetted to the island early in the investigation to assist the family and local authorities in the search which proved fruitless in its opening weeks.
A body was found earlier this week with the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands announcing soon after that fingerprint tests confirmed Slater’s identity.
Officials have said Slater’s death was “caused by trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area”, putting to bed the endless conspiracy theories that have flooded the web since the teenager went missing following a music festival last month.
Williams-Thomas has now promised he’ll “deal” with the conspiracy theories that have been banded around since Slater first went missing, making his feelings clear on their “inaccuracy”.
Jay Slater went missing in Tenerife in June while on holiday with friendsPA Breaking his silence for the first time since returning home, Williams-Thomas shared a snap early on Wednesday morning on his way to work.
“Early start … up to London,” he began in the caption. “I will do a video over next few days just to deal with some of ongoing conspiracy theories & inaccuracies.”
He signed off the post with a message of condolences for Slater’s family: “My thoughts remain with Debbie, Warren, Zac and Jay’s friends.” (sic)
Williams-Thomas also addressed the baseless theories when addressing the media after Slater’s body was found while in Tenerife.
Early start ….. up to London . I will do a video over next few days just to deal with some of ongoing conspiracy theories & inaccuracies. My thoughts remain with Debbie , Warren , Zac and Jay’s friends pic.twitter.com/rh77JhOG4Q
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) July 17, 2024
Via the Mirror, he explained why it took so long to find Slater’s body, saying: “He was found at a pretty inaccessible place not far from the spot where Jay had sent his location to two friends shorty before 9am, four weeks earlier to the day.
“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.”
Another factor Williams-Thomas cites as a reason for the lengthy search was the theories he referenced in his tweet, telling the press: “What has taken up the most time has been investigating the many theories and the false information which gathered traction on social media and then subsequently in the media.
“You will understand the family lived in hope of every new piece of information saying Jay was alive, so they all needed to be investigated.
“We had to investigate the theory Jay had walked all the way to the coastline to get on a boat, this was thoroughly investigated and ruled out with evidence proving it could not be true.”
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Jay Slater had been in Tenerife for the NRG music festival when he disappearedPA
Since Slater’s death was confirmed by Spanish official, his mother has paid tribute to her “beautiful boy.
In a statement, Debbie Duncan said: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken.”