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Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Jay Slater last moments & phone call retraced as inquest confirms cause of death
British teenager Jay Slater sent shockwaves across the globe when he disappeared during a trip to Tenerife last summer. Four weeks after a strenuous search, his semi-decomposed body was finally found, with police and medics left to uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Almost one year after he went missing, the inquest into his death began at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, reports The Mirror. The apprentice bricklayer had vanished after partying at the three-day NRG musical festival in June 2024. Despite major rescue operations, it took 29 days to find the missing 19-year-old. By that time, "there were extensive changes" to his body due to decomposition. Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd provided some insight into his injuries at the inquest and said: "The pattern of injuries is entirely consistent with a heavy fall from height". Dr Shepherd explained that even if the teen had been rushed to a specialist neurosurgical unit, "the injury is so severe that death was either instantaneous or extremely quick". Shocking details from the inquest emerged from toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin, who revealed that a mixture of drugs was present in Jay's body. In his system, at the time of his death, was ecstasy and a cocaine metabolite, which is present when the cocaine is taken at the same time as alcohol. According to the doctor, the evidence indicated that ecstasy had been used within "a day or so" before his death. However, "ketamine had been used over a much longer period". The Spanish authorities also carried out their own toxicology tests on Jay's body. Dr Martin said: "The only difference between our results and their results is that they found ketamine and its metabolites." Following the inquest update, we've taken a look back at the timeline leading up to Jay's tragic death. The Spanish police searched within the depths of the unforgiving terrain of Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve, close to where the 19-year-old's phone last pinged. The apprentice bricklayer had partied at the festival before extending his night out with two British men. In the early hours of June 17, he headed to their Airbnb in the remote village of Masca. The men were cleared in the police investigation. Shortly before 9am on that fateful Monday, he had left the holiday rental and set out to walk back to his accommodation in the south of the island, believed to be an 11-hour trek, after missing the local bus. He warned his friends, who he had been staying with, that he was thirsty and had no clue where he was, shortly before his phone died. On Monday, July 15, Spanish police confirmed that a young man's body had been discovered in a ravine near a phone mast, along with Jay's clothes and possessions. A preliminary autopsy found that Jay likely died following a catastrophic fall, with the pathologist finding that he'd suffered several broken bones. In a statement issued through charity LBT Global, Jay's mother Debbie Duncan said: "I just can't believe this could happen to my beautiful boy. Our hearts are broken." Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who assisted with the search, explained how easy it would have been to fall in such 'dangerous terrain'. The sleuth, who previously worked on the case of Nicola Bulley, previously told the Mirror: "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 how treacherous and dangerous it is - a slip or loss of footing would prove fatal." Jay's best friend, Brad Hargreaves, previously revealed details of their final phone call during Jay's fatal walk. The teen said he believed Jay would have avoided going down the road he had mentioned during their phone call, as he speculated he would have taken a safer path. Brad revealed that he could hear Jay's feet slide on the rocks, signalling to him his friend had "went off the road.. That's how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you can... you know what I mean, stones". Brad explained: "He was on the phone walking down a road and he'd gone over a little bit - not a big drop - but a tiny little drop and he was going down, and he said 'I'll ring ya back, I'll ring ya back' because I think someone else was ringing him. If he was thinking like me, he would have gone back up and started walking on the path again... He wouldn't have gone all that way down there." When probed into whether he was concerned at this point, Brad replied: "Not at the time because we were both laughing and he said, 'Look where I am' and I was like, 'I've just come out of a festival' and he didn't seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he was. I said, 'Put your location on and he said 'a 15-minute drive or a 14-hour walk, I don't know if it's accurate or not' and I said, 'If it's only a 15-minute drive, get a taxi'."
Wales Online
21-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Jay Slater's 'devastating' final moments before his death is laid out to family for first time
Jay Slater's 'devastating' final moments before his death is laid out to family for first time The last moments of teenager Jay Slater, whose disappearance sparked a huge manhunt last year when he vanished in Tenerife, have been discussed at an inquest into his death An inquest is being held into Jay Slater's death after his body was found in Spain last summer (Image: Family Handout/LBT Global/PA ) The family of Jay Slater have learned of his final moments before he died in Tenerife. They were told that the teen's death would have been "very quick" during an inquest The disappearance of the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, sparked a huge search for the teenager in Tenerife last June. Friends and family flew out to help with the search. His disappearance sparked a huge wave of media attention before his body was finally discovered. Jay's remains were found a month later, near near the village of Masca. It was believed he had died after falling from a height in the steep and inaccessible area where he was eventually found. On Wednesday, his family were told about his final moments before he died at an inquest at Preston Coroner's Court. During the hearing, Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd gave medical evidence suggesting Jay suffered a "heavy fall from height" - and the "devastating" effects would have been immediate. Dr Shepherd said: "The injury is so severe that I have no doubt at all he would have been rendered immediately unconscious... death was either instantaneous or extremely quick. Article continues below "The pattern of injuries is entirely consistent with a heavy fall from height." Dr Shepherd told the inquest Jay's head injury was so serious it is highly unlikely he could have survived, even if Jay had been admitted to a specialist neurosurgical unit. He also said that Jay's body was decomposing by the time he examined it. He explained: "There were extensive changes due to decomposition. There were changes due to the period of time he was lying in a hot environment - changes I would expect to see in that period of 28 days or thereabouts. "The pattern of injuries is entirely consistent with a heavy fall from height." A CT scan also showed there was "a severe fracture of the head." The inquest also heard from toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin that more than one drug was present in his body when he died. Although tests when someone who has been dead for some time are "extremely challenging", she determined that Jay had ecstasy in his system at the time of his death. Also present was a cocaine metabolite, which is present when cocaine is taken at the same time as the consumption of alcohol. Dr Martin says it is impossible to say exactly when Jay took the drugs but it is "likely within a day or so of his death." Article continues below The Spanish authorities also carried out their own toxicology tests on Jay's body. Dr Martin said: "The only difference between our results and their results is that they found ketamine and its metabolites."
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Jay Slater inquest begins as coroner investigates death of British teenager who went missing in Tenerife last year
An inquest into the death of British teenager Jay Slater who died while on holiday on Tenerife was opened today. The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, died in June last year from traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height, according to a post-mortem. The apprentice bricklayer attended the NRG music festival on the Spanish holiday island with two friends before his disappearance. His last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation. He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled not relevant to the case. The disappearance of Mr Slater had prompted a search effort which spanned weeks and involved family members, police and volunteers. Then on July 15, charity LBT Global revealed the body of Mr Slater had been found with his clothes and possessions near his last known location. Members of a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard discovered the body near the village of Masca. The force said Mr Slater could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered. His family endured conspiracy theories and 'awful comments' being posted online during the search for the apprentice bricklayer, but supporters had raised £50,000 to help fund the hunt for the teenager. Spanish police had called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer at the end of June after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him. More to follow Timeline: The search for missing teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife Here are the key events leading up to the discovery of Jay Slater's body after the British teenager vanished in Tenerife in June 2024: – Sunday June 16 Mr Slater attends the NRG music festival with friends at Papagayo nightclub in the tourist resort of Playa de las Americas in the south of Tenerife. – Monday June 17 In the early hours of Monday he goes to stay in an apartment in the north of the island with people he had met over the course of the night. – 7.30am Mr Slater posts a picture on Snapchat from the doorway of the property he stayed at overnight, tagged as being in Rural de Teno park. – 8.30am He calls his friend, Lucy Law, telling her he had attempted to walk back to his accommodation after missing his bus – a journey that would take more than 10 hours. In the frantic last phone call, Mr Slater says he had 'cut his leg' on a cactus and had 'no idea where he was'. Ms Law says her friend told her he was 'lost in the mountains, he wasn't aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%'. Mr Slater's phone runs out of battery shortly after with his last known location being in Rural de Teno park. – 9.04am He is reported missing. – Tuesday June 18 After friends spend the previous day searching to no avail, local police and mountain rescue teams scour Rural de Teno park for Mr Slater. His family fly out to Tenerife to join the search. – Wednesday June 19 The search is temporarily moved to the Los Cristianos area in the south of the island because of a potential lead, but this is quickly discounted and the search returns north. Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, says she feared her son had 'been taken against his will'. – Thursday June 20 The search returns to Rural de Teno park, around the village of Masca. Emergency workers meet in various locations throughout the day, combing bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides and rivers, but fail to find the missing teenager. – Friday June 21 Spanish police reject an offer of support from Lancashire Constabulary as the hunt continues. Police, firefighters and search and rescue personnel comb a vast area of land in and around the village of Masca. Search and rescue personnel carefully look through dead palm trees covering a river at the bottom of the hillside near to an Airbnb property Mr Slater had reportedly been driven to. The owner of the property tells reporters she saw Mr Slater walk up the road past her property but did not see him again after that – describing the situation as worrying. – Saturday June 22 Mr Slater's mother issues a direct plea to her missing son on the sixth day of the hunt, saying: 'We just need you home.' Firefighters appear to conduct the majority of the searches as they wear helmets to tackle dangerous hillside terrain in Tenerife. The search parties seem noticeably smaller compared with other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in the village of Masca and the surrounding areas. – Sunday June 23 Search teams narrow their efforts on small buildings close to where Mr Slater's phone last pinged. Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Island can be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park. Efforts appear to be solely focused on the one area after days of searches in the village of Masca and the surrounding landscape. – Thursday June 27 Mr Slater's mother says she will use donations from the GoFundMe appeal set up by Ms Law, to fund her stay on Tenerife. Ms Duncan says the £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 individual donations will be used to support mountain rescue teams, and to cover her own accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island. – Friday June 28 The Guardia Civil appeal for volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers who are experts in rugged terrain to assist in a 'busqueda masiva', or massive search, to take place on Saturday. – Saturday June 29 A renewed search for Mr Slater gets under way in the village of Masca, near to his last-known location, co-ordinated to take in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths. – Sunday June 30 Spanish police call off the search for the missing teenager. A Guardia Civil spokesperson reportedly says: 'The search operation has now finished, although the case remains open.' It is understood that Mr Slater's family and friends will stay in Tenerife to continue to look for him. – Tuesday July 2 Ms Duncan says 'words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing' after searches fail to trace her missing son. In a statement issued through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she says the land search for her son has been called off, but thanks the Guardia Civil who she says 'worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced'. – Wednesday July 3 In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, which had raised almost £50,000 as of this date, Ms Duncan thanks the 'vast' generosity of donors, saying her family are 'grateful for all of your support and kindness during this unimaginable time'. She writes that part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced. – Sunday July 14 The missing teenager's mother speaks of her 'heartache' and criticises 'awful comments and conspiracy theories' as it approaches a month since Mr Slater disappeared. In a statement released through LBT Global, Ms Duncan says: 'As we approach four weeks of our beautiful Jay's disappearance, we cannot put into words the heartache we are suffering as a family.' Ms Duncan says the family wish to thank the public for 'their continued support and well wishes' and praises the British Embassy and police for 'doing all they can to support us'. But she also criticises 'awful comments and conspiracy theories' posted on social media, which she brands 'vile' and says were 'hindering' people trying to help locate the teenager. – Monday July 15 A body is found in the search for Mr Slater. Charity LBT Global says that, while formal identification has not yet taken place, the remains were found with the 19-year-old's clothes and possessions near his last known location. Members of a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard discovered the body near the village of Masca. The force says Mr Slater could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where the body was discovered.
Sky News
25-02-2025
- Sky News
Remains of British man who vanished more than two years ago found in Georgia woods
The remains of a British man who went missing on a trip to Florida nearly two-and-a-half years ago have been found, the FBI has said. Alex Hodgson Doughty was on holiday in Jacksonville in September 2022 when he was reported missing by his mother after she was unable to contact him. His remains were found 35 miles north of there in a wooded area on private land near Kingsland, Georgia, the FBI said on Friday. Overseas missing persons charity LBT Global said on a web page dedicated to Mr Doughty that he was last seen on 11 September 2022. He was at a Jacksonville bar and grill at around 3.30pm and then got into a taxi which dropped him off in Kingsland around an hour later. A Facebook page, Help Find Alex, said he continued to make video calls and send text messages up until 6.51pm when his phone went offline. Federal, state, local, and international agencies were involved in the investigation and search for Mr Doughty, who was 30 when he went missing. His remains were found on 4 February, the FBI said, adding a medical examiner had confirmed Mr Doughty's identity. "While we had hoped to bring Mr Doughty's family better news, we are thankful to be able to provide them with some closure," said special agent Kristin Rehler. "This discovery is the direct result of our partnerships and special agents from FBI Jacksonville's Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST), who were relentless in their efforts to narrow down potential search locations." No criminal charges are expected, the FBI said.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Remains of U.K. man missing for more than 2 years found in Georgia woods, FBI says
The remains of a United Kingdom man missing for nearly two-and-a-half years have been found in a privately owned wooded area near Kingsland, Georgia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. Alex Hodgson Doughty was reported missing in September 2022 and had been visiting Jacksonville, Florida, about 35 miles south of where the remains were found, the FBI said in announcing the discovery on Friday. The cause and manner of death were unavailable. An FBI Evidence Response Team based in Jacksonville led the search when the remains were found on Feb. 4, the bureau said in its statement. It said the Medical Examiner's Office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the remains as belonging to Doughty. The U.K. nonprofit LBT Global, which helps families with relatives who are victims of crimes overseas, said on a web page dedicated to Doughty that he paid for a ride to Kingsland on one of the last days he was seen, on Sept. 11, 2022, when he was 30. The FBI listed Doughty's age as 32. He was at a Jacksonville bar and grill that Sunday afternoon when he took the ride, LBT Global said. Within an hour, it said, he was in Kingsland, a small city on the state's southwest coast, about three miles north of the Florida border, that touts itself as a destination for outdoor adventure. A Facebook page, Help Find Alex, said he had been staying in Orlando when he went 140 miles north to Jacksonville and then north again to Kingsland, the latter via a ride-hailing service. The National Institute of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) page for Doughty said he was last seen at 1 a.m. on Sept. 12 in the parking lot of an auto parts store. It also said he had been traveling by via ride-hailing service. The FBI didn't provide details on the discovery, stating only that a criminal case was not forthcoming. "No criminal charges are expected," it said. The bureau indicated that FBI investigators who specialize in tracking cellphone locations, part of the Jacksonville FBI office's Cellular Analysis Survey Team, helped locate the remains. Speaking in the Friday statement, the FBI's special agent in charge of the Jacksonville office, Kristin Rehler, praised the survey team's members for being 'relentless in their efforts to narrow down potential search locations.' "While we had hoped to bring Mr. Doughty's family better news, we are thankful to be able to provide them with some closure," she said. This article was originally published on
