Tragic new revelations have surfaced regarding the final moments of Jay Slater, uncovering a critical misstep before his fatal fall.
The 19-year-old, hailing from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, embarked on his inaugural solo vacation in Tenerife, sans parental supervision, where he disappeared following a night out in July of the previous year.
Engaging in revelry, the teen ventured to an Airbnb in the secluded locale of Masca on the Spanish isle alongside two individuals he had encountered during his holiday.
Subsequently, Jay contacted his friend Lucy Law to disclose his state of being lost, and later informed another acquaintance, Bradley Geoghegan, that he had missed transportation and was trekking 14km back to his lodgings in Los Cristianos. Tragically, he never reached his destination.
During his inquest in July, Coroner Dr. James Adeley declared Jay’s demise as accidental, attributing it to a fatal fall into a remote ravine within the Rural de Teno national park. His remains were unearthed by a mountain rescue team on July 15, 2024, nearly a month post his disappearance.
Toxicology assessments indicated the presence of ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, and alcohol in Jay’s system at the time of his demise.
The nation was captivated by the teen’s vanishing, with rampant conspiracy theories escalating until the discovery of Jay’s body. The proliferation of online conjecture proved distressing for Jay’s grief-stricken mother, Debbie Duncan, who contended that such speculations impeded the investigation.
Now, as an upcoming documentary is poised to illuminate Jay’s final movements, a journalist retracing the teen’s steps in Tenerife divulged a poignant twist of fate that culminated in Jay’s untimely passing.
Penning in the Sunday Times, journalist David Collins recounted his journey mirroring Jay’s path, highlighting a pivotal decision where Jay veered left up a hazardous mountain road from the Airbnb, instead of turning right towards civilization, which would have led him to a mountain village equipped with amenities. Regrettably, Jay ventured off-road and descended into a ravine.
Debbie Duncan, Jay’s grieving mother, expressed apprehensions over the proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding his demise, lamenting the dissemination of misleading footage online. She emphasized Jay’s essence as a young man enjoying life, disheartened by the misrepresentation of his character.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater on Channel 4 is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, September 28, at 9 pm. Collaborating with Jay’s father, Warren, 59, and elder brother, Zak, 25, Debbie granted TV producers unprecedented access to Jay’s narrative and the family’s journey.
The program will showcase personal home videos alongside footage from Jay’s funeral, with cameras granted access to his post-mortem examination. Debbie, speaking to the Mirror, expressed her motivation for the documentary, aiming to humanize Jay beyond a mere news item and portray their family as ordinary individuals enduring a profound loss. She anticipates that the documentary will quell unwarranted speculation and provide a comprehensive portrayal of Jay’s life.