A coroner has confirmed Jay Slater's cause of death after the missing teen was found dead in Tenerife.
The late 19-year-old disappeared on June 18, 2024, after a night out during a holiday on the Spanish island. A massive month-long search followed, until his body was discovered on July 15 in a steep and remote area of the Rural Parc de Teno.
An inquest was launched into his death, and the coroner confirmed that Slater died after falling 20 to 25 metres into a ravine in a remote part of the island.
According to the BBC, Dr James Adeley, Senior Coroner for Lancashire, ruled there was “no third party involved” in the teen's death, revealing that Slater “fell in a particularly dangerous area” and died instantly from skull fractures and brain trauma.
Bringing the inquest to a close, Dr Adeley acknowledged the distress of the Slater family, who went nearly a month without answers. He thanked all who gave evidence and told the family he hoped the facts presented through the inquest had provided some certainty.
Before the coroner delivered his findings, Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, gave a moving tribute at Preston Coroner’s Court.
“He loved his family very much and was not afraid to show affection,” she said, cited by Express. She shared that Slater had a "wonderful life" and "was a joy to be around," adding: "He was very loved and our hearts are broken. Our lives will never be the same without Jay in them.”
She told the inquest, as cited by The Sun: "We ask now that you let Jay rest in eternal peace."
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Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was holidaying on the island and had attended the NRG music festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Américas. After the night out, he went to an Airbnb with two strangers.
His friend Bradley Geoghegan told the inquest that Slater had taken ecstasy pills, cocaine, and possibly ketamine, along with alcohol. Geoghegan also revealed that Slater video-called him the following morning while walking along a road and still “under the influence”.
“I said, ‘Put your maps on to see how far you were.’ It was like a 14-hour walk or an hour drive. I said, ‘Get a taxi back’, then he just goes, ‘I will ring you back,’” he told the court, per The Guardian.
Geoghegan believed Slater had no money for a taxi and that he “probably got there and thought, ‘Why am I here?’, sobered up and decided to come back.”
Another friend, Lucy Law, told the inquest she spoke to Slater at 08:32AM on the morning of his disappearance, when he said he needed a drink and was “frightened.” Law replied that he should return to the Airbnb, and later texted him again, warning that it was hot outside, Sky News reported.
In a final short call at 08:50AM, Slater told Law his phone was on 1% and that “all he could see was mountains.” Activity on his phone stopped at 8:51AM, suggesting the battery had died. Police told the inquest that at no point during the conversations did Slater express any sense of danger or distress.
After failing to find transportation, Slater is believed to have attempted to walk back to his accommodation - a decision that led him to the hazardous terrain where he fell to his death.
Our thoughts continue to be with Slater's loved ones.