Jay Slater Inquest to Restart After Final Witness Search

Background of Jay Slater’s Disappearance

The inquest into the death of 19-year-old Jay Slater, who vanished during a trip to Tenerife last summer, is set to resume. The hearing was previously adjourned in May to allow for one final attempt to locate witnesses who had not yet appeared. Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was believed to have gone to a holiday rental apartment on the island after attending a music festival. His disappearance sparked a massive search effort that ultimately led to the discovery of his body.

Slater attended the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas on 16 June. He went missing two days later. According to evidence, he left the flat hours after arriving and attempted to return to his own apartment, only to fall into a ravine. A large-scale search by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard eventually found his body in a steep and inaccessible area near the village of Masca on 15 July.

Witnesses and the Inquest Process

Several witnesses who were with Slater on the night of his disappearance or at the rental apartment did not attend the inquest when it began at Preston Coroner’s Court in May. The court heard that these individuals could not be located or were unavailable, despite extensive efforts to bring them forward as witnesses.

Debbie Duncan, Slater’s mother, requested an adjournment so the family could ask questions to the last people who saw him alive. Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, agreed to delay the proceedings until 24 July to make a final attempt to trace the witnesses.

During the previous hearing, several witnesses provided testimony. Toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin testified about the presence of drugs—cocaine, ketamine, and ecstasy—as well as alcohol in Slater’s system. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd stated that the cause of death was head injuries, with no signs of restraint or assault. The pattern of injuries was consistent with a fall from height.

Details of the Night of the Disappearance

Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Higson from Lancashire Constabulary shared information about Slater’s phone activity. It was revealed that he received messages from friends urging him to go home as he was “off his head.” Phone location data indicated that he traveled to the holiday flat and then left the property around 7:45 am the next day.

Local Spanish residents Ramon Hernandez and Juan Diaz, who were working near the holiday let where Slater stayed, provided statements. They described an “English-speaking guy” carrying a half-litre bottle of Coca-Cola approaching them around 7:45 am and asking about bus and taxi schedules. Despite warnings from friends about the extreme heat of the day, Slater’s phone activity ceased at 8:51 am, suggesting the battery had died.

Challenges in the Search Effort

Marieke Krans from Dutch rescue charity Signi Zoekhonden, who assisted in the search, highlighted the difficulty of the terrain where Slater’s body was found. She described the area as a three-and-a-half-hour walk from the holiday apartment and noted that it was “really steep, really dangerous,” making it easy to lose one’s footing.

The coroner suggested that one possible explanation for Slater’s death was that he “walked into the middle of nowhere and fell off a cliff.” The inquest is expected to conclude on Friday, with further details likely to emerge as the process continues.