The tragic message sent to Jay Slater at 3am the morning he went missing

Edinburgh Live

22-05-2025

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An inquest delving into the heartbreaking demise of Jay Slater has unveiled a distressing text exchange with a mate, moments before the 19 year old vanished without a trace.
Heard at Preston Coroner's Court were unsettling texts following Jay's ominous message which triggered concern from his mates.
In a message forwarded at 2.39am, on the day he went missing, Jay wrote to a friend, "They've got a marker on me."
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Responding to his alarming text, his pal cautioned, "You need to get home lad, you're off your barnet."
Subsequently, between 5.03am and 5.52am, another disturbing message was broadcast from Jay's phone: "Just took a £12k Rolly off some **** off to get 10 quid for it now.", reports the Manchester Evening News.
During the inquest, the court heard Josh Forshaw's account that Jay's mention of "10 quid" was actually code for a hefty £10,000 sum.
When probed by the coroner over lunch about slang usage, Josh was incredulous, replying earlier today, "Are you serious?".
In the afternoon session, he elaborated, "It's used in my area but I can't show that is what Jay intended. It was my interpretation."
DCI Rachel Higson chimed in on the slang puzzle when questioned, admitting unfamiliarity with the phrase, but after consulting peers, she relayed that "It's not something I've heard of prior but I've consulted with colleagues and certainly in the east of the county, like Blackburn, it is a commonly-known term."
On the fateful morning at around 7.30am, Jay shared a video call with his friend Brad Hargreaves, further deepening the mystery of his disappearance.
In court, it was revealed that Jay had told Brad Hargreaves he couldn't afford a taxi. Bradley suggested: "Just get a taxi here and then jump out and don't pay for it or we'll pay."
During a phone conversation later, Jay 'still sounded under the influence' but didn't come across as distressed, nor was he 'begging for help or in danger', according to Josh's testimony at the inquest.
Earlier, the court learned that Jay sent Josh an image displaying knives tucked into his trousers 'in case it kicks off', approximately 90 minutes before their phone call.
The young lad of 19 was discovered deceased in a ravine within Rural Parc de Teno, Tenerife, on 15 July last year. The Oswaltwistle apprentice bricklayer had attended the NRG music fest in Playa de las Americas.
Following an event hosted by NRG, Jay ventured to a remote Masca village Airbnb early on 17 June.
His intention was to trek to the flat where his mates were located in Los Cristianos after leaving the Airbnb.
Throughout the trial, witness accounts from three Spanish individuals who encountered Jay during the leadup to his disappearance were presented.
At about 7:50 am on the same day, two mates working on a building venture in Masca witnessed Jay on the main road, where he enquired regarding bus timetables.
The search for Jay, which lasted nearly a month, garnered considerable press coverage in the UK, as reported by LancsLive. His body was found in Juan Lopez ravine, northward of Masca, not far from the last known location of his mobile phone signal.
A post-mortem examination concluded he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.
As Jay's body was returned to Lancashire for his funeral, Lancashire's Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley opened an inquest.
The final hearing started today (May 21) but has now been adjourned to resume at a later date.