Latest news with #accidentaldeath
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
What Jay Slater inquest told us about 19-year-old's disappearance
As the inquest into Jay Slater's death concluded, key details of his last hours were 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, went missing in Tenerife in June 2024 after attending a music body was found in a remote national park in a steep and inaccessible area by a mountain rescue team at the end of a 29-day inquest at Preston Coroner's Court began in May, but was adjourned after a plea from Mr Slater's mother that key witnesses who were with him on the night he disappeared should be made to attend. While some witnesses came forward, the court was not able to contact Brandon Hodgson and Stephen Roccas, who were with Mr Slater before he went hearing all the evidence, coroner Dr James Adeley ruled that "Jay Dean Slater died an accidental death" without third-party influence, after a fall in a "particularly dangerous area" that resulted in skull fractures and brain trauma that killed him instantly. 'Our hearts are broken' Mr Slater was an apprentice bricklayer on his first holiday with his friends, flying to Tenerife to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas on 16 June at his inquest, mum Debbie Duncan said he was "a bundle of fun with a constant smile", adding he "always made new friends wherever he went".She said: "He had a large circle of good friends who have been left devastated at his tragic death."He was very loved and our hearts are broken. Our lives will never be the same without Jay."On the night itself, Mr Slater's friends went home, but they said he appeared to want to continue to party after taking drugs and got into a car with two men he had met on the holiday and was driven to an Airbnb in the remote village of Masca, about 22 miles (36km) away from where he was friend Bradley Geoghegan told the inquest he felt the Mr Slater "probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?' sobered up and decided to come back."Mr Geoghegan said he had told him to get a taxi back, but he decided to walk back - even though it was a 14-hour journey and he had been offered a lift the following his friends searching the area, there was no sign of Mr Slater, and he didn't return to his was reported missing to Spanish police on 18 police and mountain rescue teams began searching and his mother and brother boarded a flight to Tenerife. 'Mark on him' Mr Geoghegan told the two-day inquest that he last saw his friend at about 02:40 BST on 17 June 2024. Mr Slater had sent him a text message claiming he had been refused entry to Papagayo nightclub and claimed it was because "they had a mark on him".Mr Geoghegan confirmed during the hearing that the refusal of entry to the nightclub was because Mr Slater "couldn't stand up". He added that he walked outside to meet his friend and that in "the fresh air he could now stand and wasn't so bad".He also confirmed Mr Slater had taken ecstasy and cocaine and may have taken ketamine too. Missing data Lancashire Police Det Ch Insp Rachel Higson, a specialist in the Digital Department, told the inquest about her analysis of the teenager's phone. An iPhone 14 was found on the body, and it was confirmed to be Mr Slater's by the telephone and email address on it. It was confirmed during the inquest that before an examination of the phone could take place, some information and messages were lost due to "blocking of various people on various social media sites". The coroner added this was "not a criticism or any form of censure but simply an explanation that some of the data was not available to interpret".Det Ch Insp Higson said various messages on the phone confirmed that Mr Slater had separated from his friends at some point during the early hours of the morning. Lucy Law Lucy Law, who had known Mr Slater for about six years, was the last person to speak to him on the told the inquest at about 02:00 BST on the day of his disappearance, Mr Slater left her and her friends, who had been together on the dancefloor of a then tried to find she eventually saw him she told him they had been worried about him, but "he just found the situation funny".She said a friend had later called her to say he was in the mountains and did not have much phone battery after he had left an said she thought it was a joke until her friend said it was more serious."I thought they were having me on," she said. In a subsequent phone call with Mr Slater - the last known outgoing communication from his phone - she asked him where he was and what he was told her he had missed a bus and decided to walk the 14-hour journey home but was lost, needed water and his phone had only 1% of its battery life told her he was "in the middle of the mountains" and there was "literally nothing" around."By this stage, I'm panicking," she told the inquest, adding she had urged him to go back to where he came last phone call lasted just 22 seconds and cut off suddenly. The hearing heard it is possible that at such low battery levels the phone terminated the he didn't return, she set up a fundraising page and urged the police to start a search. Body found Spanish police had had an approximate location for the search, the Rural de Teno park, because Mr Slater's phone had pinged off a mast. The search large scale search involved helicopters, drones, rescue teams and dogs, with crews working through difficult terrain and having to hack through thick vegetation with machetes. With steep ravines and cliffs across the landscape, the Spanish authorities deployed helicopter crews, specially trained search dogs and Slater's friends and family also 15 July, the teams searched the treacherous Juan Lopez Ravine - a little-used area with no water - and found Mr Slater's body. Around 66ft (20m) above where the body was found, Mr Slater's bag, with his phone and gas canisters inside, was Spanish authorities said they could not explain why Mr Slater "took a chance" by leaving the road to descend down the the sea could be seen from the head of the ravine, and they suggested he may have believed he could reach a beach and get report said: "It would be easy to slip on the rocks and fall into the void."Through fingerprint testing, the body was confirmed by the police and Canary Islands Higher Court of Justice to be Mr injuries were consistent with a fall on to rocky ground from height. Lack of suitable clothing Coroner Dr James Adeley said contributing factors to the fall might have been a lack of suitable clothing, lack of sleep and lack of mountain training, as well as potential after-effects from drugs Mr Slater had impact of the skull was enough to cause non-survivable brain injuries, even if he received immediate medical help and death was likely instant, he were fractures on his pelvis in multiple coroner said he hoped it was of "some consolation to the family" that Mr Slater would not have been in concluding the inquest, the coroner said there was "every indication Jay's friends were concerned about him", adding they "made efforts to find him and persuade him to return"."In particular Lucy Law made repeated attempts to find Jay on the evening and look after his welfare, "As Jay is an adult, he has every right to ignore such concerns and to make his own decisions," he added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Sky News
6 days ago
- Sky News
Jay Slater suffered 'accidental death', inquest finds - all we learnt from hearing
The death of teenager Jay Slater has been ruled as "accidental" after an inquest. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on 17 June 2024 on the Spanish island of Tenerife after attending the NRG music festival. He was reported missing and, after an extensive search and rescue mission and significant media attention, his body was found a month later on 15 July. Jay Slater's inquest as it happened An inquest into the teenager's death took place on 24 and 25 July at Preston Coroner's Court, after first being adjourned in May. Dr James Adeley, a senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, concluded that Mr Slater died "an accidental death". He said he fell while trying to descend a ravine, which resulted in fatal skull trauma. Here is everything we learned from the inquests in May and July which heard from experts, friends who were on holiday with Mr Slater and a testimony from his mother Debbie Duncan. Why happened during the inquest in May? The first inquest heard from Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, who said Mr Slater's injuries were "entirely consistent" with a fall from a great height and gave an official cause of death as a head injury. He said there was no suggestion that the teenager had been assaulted or restrained. Toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin said traces of MDMA and MDA, commonly known as ecstasy, along with cocaine and alcohol, were also found in Mr Slater's body. Dr James Adeley decided to adjourn the inquest to July after a number of witnesses who had been asked to give evidence could not be traced or were unable to attend. Mr Slater's mother Ms Duncan told the court in May that she wanted "these people to be sat in front of us, because our son went on holiday and didn't come back, so there's questions we need to ask". Slater took a mixture of drugs and alcohol Bradley Geoghegan and Lucy Law, who were with Mr Slater on holiday, gave evidence to the court when it resumed in July. Mr Geoghegan told the court the trio landed in Tenerife on 13 June last year and met up with their friend, Brandon Hodgson. While they were out that night, the group met Ayoub Qassim and Stephen Roccus, who were staying at the Airbnb Mr Slater travelled to in the village of Masca, before his disappearance. On the night of 16 June, the day before Mr Slater disappeared, Mr Geoghegan said he had taken ecstasy pills and possibly ketamine, along with cocaine and alcohol. Mr Slater 'on the buzz' and 'happy' before disappearance Appearing at the inquest via video link, Mr Qassim, who Mr Slater stayed with before he disappeared, described the teenager as "on the buzz" in the early hours of 17 June, the day he went missing. At roughly 5am, after a night of partying, Mr Qassim was with Mr Slater and other friends going between a club and a food spot. "Jay was on the buzz, head bopping, chill, happy, mingling innit," he told the coroner. Asked if he would have trusted Mr Slater to drive a car in his state then, Mr Qassim said "nah". Mr Qassim said Mr Slater had asked to come back to the Masca Airbnb where he and his friend Mr Roccas were staying as everyone else had left. He told the inquest he went to bed when they returned and could hear Mr Slater downstairs. He was woken about an hour later because he needed to move his car and when he returned to the house Mr Slater was leaving and said he was going to catch a bus. Me Qassim said: "I went 'bro, there ain't no buses coming here any time soon'." He said Mr Slater left, despite him explaining that buses did not pass regularly. "At that point I presumed he'd sit at that bus stop and that's it. He's waiting till the first bus comes and he's out of there." 'I told him to chill… now he's gone missing' When questioned by family barrister Lois Norris, if he can remember any calls he received on the day Mr Slater disappeared, Mr Qassaim said he only vividly remembers being told he had gone missing. Pointing out he'd only slept for one hour - and that he had suggested to Mr Slater that he should stay at their place, rather than take a bus - Mr Qassim said: "I'm sort of annoyed, thinking 'f****** hell I need some sleep. "I said: 'Bro, I told him to chill, and now you're telling me he's gone missing'." Slater called friends before his phone died Having left the Airbnb, it is believed Mr Slater attempted to make the 14-hour walk back to the main Veronicas Strip. During this walk, coroner Dr Adeley said the teenager called Brandon Hodgson "laughing and joking". Moments later, he called Mr Geoghegan on Snapchat, during which he told Mr Slater to get a taxi. Mr Geoghegan said: "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'." Mr Slater then called Ms Law saying he didn't know where he was with mountains "all around". He said he needed a drink and was "frightened" but said he could not go back to the Airbnb, without expanding on why. Ms Law told the court: "By this stage, I'm panicking." Lack of sleep, training, water and poor judgement Excerpts of information from the Spanish authorities were read out in court by Dr Adeley, including from the local Mountain Rescue services. It said on the 29th day of the search for Mr Slater, they took to the treacherous Juan Lopez Ravine, where his body was later found. 1:03 Dr Adeley explained that the teenager's body was found eight metres above a dry stream bed, with mountain rescue crews estimating he fell between 20 and 25 metres. "It was acknowledged the area was mountainous with inaccessible areas," Dr Adeley said in court. The coroner says that there was "very rough terrain" at the point where the fall occurred. He adds that factors contributing to Slater's fall were a lack of training, poor judgement, a lack of sleep and a lack of water. 'Our lives will never be the same' Speaking at the inquest, Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, said the lives of their family will "never be the same without Jay in it". "Not in a million years could we predict what was going to unfold," she said. "He was learning to drive and had so many plans and a bright future ahead of him." He "touched the hearts of the nation", Ms Duncan continued, asking that he be allowed to "rest in eternal peace".
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cause confirmed in death of Caitlyn Jenner friend Sophia Hutchins
The cause of death has been revealed for Sophia Hutchins, Caitlyn Jenner's manager and close friend, who was killed in an ATV accident near the Olympian's Malibu, California, home earlier this month. The 29-year-old Lumasol sunscreen founder died July 2, due to 'multiple blunt force injuries,' according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner's online records. Her manner of death, which occurred on a cliff, was ruled accidental. At the time of publication, the Medical Examiner has listed the case status as 'open.' Hutchins, who appeared in 75-year-old Jenner's series 'I Am Cait,' was driving on a 'narrow canyon road' when The Malibu Times says Hutch hit the bumper of a moving car, whose driver and passenger were not injured. Hutchins' ATV was catapulted over the cliff and into a ravine roughly 350 feet below. TMZ previously reported that the crash took place on the road where Jenner lives. Hutchins in 2021 doubled down that she and Jenner, who she looked up to during her own transition, shared a truly 'familial' dynamic. 'Caitlyn is a parent to me,' she told People at the time. 'I have said that a million times. It is a parental, familial relationship. I feel so blessed and humbled to be part of such an amazing family and that she treats me like a daughter. … There's no hanky panky.'
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
At least 10 dead as vehicles plunge into river after bridge collapse
At least 10 people have been killed in a partial bridge collapse in India that sent lorries, vans and a rickshaw plunging into the river below. The incident happened on Wednesday when a 10-15 metre section of a crossing near Mujpur village in the western state of Gujarat fell into the Mahisagar river. Authorities said the death toll was expected to rise and that three of the dead were from the same family. 'Right now, the death toll is 10, but we are expecting more as we are pulling out the vehicles from the river,' said Rohan Anand, the Vadodara police superintendent. 'Three people are feared drowned, and a rescue operation is on,' he said, adding that five people had been injured. An oil tanker truck was hanging on the edge of the collapsed segment on Wednesday as witnesses recounted pulling bodies from the river. 'I immediately ran toward the spot and saw that many vehicles had fallen into the river. We rescued some and took out the bodies as well,' said Jagmar Singh Padhia. The bridge 'had wide gaps on the joints and we expected it would collapse one day', he added. Footage of the incident showed a woman calling for the rescue of her son, who appeared to be trapped in a submerged van. Bodies of the dead have been taken to Padra Referral Hospital for autopsy. Nine of those killed are from Gujarat, while one is from the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. Police have registered a case of accidental death and begun an investigation. Raju Hathiya, a lorry driver, survived after his vehicle fell into the river and was later taken to hospital. 'I was driving slowly, and the bridge suddenly collapsed from below and we fell into the river,' he said. 'I don't know where my co-driver is. I pulled myself out and sat on the lorry until a rescue team came.' India's infrastructure has long been marred by safety issues that have led to several disasters. Builders often use poor-quality construction materials to cut costs. Wednesday's incident was the 17th bridge collapse in Gujarat in the past five years. In Oct 2022, a colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed in the town of Morbi, plunging hundreds of people into the river Machchhu and killing 135.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
An Oklahoma pediatrician is accused of staging her daughter's accidental death in Florida
An Oklahoma pediatrician was accused of murder after, authorities said, she staged her daughter's accidental death at a vacation rental in suburban Miami, court records obtained Thursday show. Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in Oklahoma City and is awaiting extradition to Florida in the June 27 death of her daughter, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The 4-year-old girl, identified in an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant as A.T., was found unresponsive in a pool at the home, but her lungs and stomach contained no water, prompting authorities to rule out drowning as the cause of death. A lawyer for Gupta said Thursday that he was disappointed the sheriff's office "decided to hastily arrest a grieving mother who fully cooperated with the police and who is absolutely devastated for the loss of her child." "We look forward to more evidence, evidence that the Miami Dade Sheriff's office could not possibly have obtained in the 24-hour investigation that they completed," the lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, said in an email. According to the affidavit, Gupta traveled to Florida from Oklahoma, where she is a doctor, on June 25 and rented a home in El Portal, north of Miami. Gupta told authorities that she arrived at the rental with her daughter between 7 and 8 p.m. June 26 after having spent the day at the beach. Gupta awoke the girl to feed her dinner at 9 p.m., and the 4-year-old remained awake until 12:30 a.m., the affidavit says. Gupta told authorities she was awakened about 3:20 a.m. by a noise and saw that her daughter was not in the bed they were sharing, according to the affidavit. A sliding glass door to the patio was open, Gupta told authorities, even though she said she had locked it before bed. Gupta "stated she then observed the 'deceased victim' submerged underwater within the swimming pool of the residence," the affidavit says. 'The Subject' stated she attempted to remove the victim from the pool; however, she was unsuccessful due to the fact that she is unable to swim." Gupta said she tried to help the girl for 10 minutes before she dialed 911, according to the affidavit. First responders performed CPR, but A.T. was pronounced dead at a hospital at 4:28 a.m., the affidavit says. During an autopsy Sunday, a pathologist with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department found that the girl's lungs and stomach were "dry" and that cuts in her mouth and bruising in her cheeks were "not consistent" with the first responders' lifesaving efforts, according to the affidavit. The pathologist concluded that the girl was dead before she was put in the pool, the affidavit says. While the cause and manner of death are pending, the pathologist's preliminary findings indicate that the girl's injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering, the affidavit says. The autopsy also showed that the girl's stomach was empty, contrary to what Gupta told authorities about having fed her at 9 p.m., the affidavit says. Gupta "attempted to conceal the killing of the 'deceased victim' by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property," it says. The affidavit does not identify a possible motive. Gupta was in a custody battle with her ex-husband when his daughter died, and he was unaware that she had left Oklahoma, according to the document. This article was originally published on
