Latest news with #missingperson
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jay Slater's final words are revealed as friend tells inquest he called her from the 'middle of the mountains' as his phone ran out of battery - before his body was later found at bottom of ravine in Tenerife
Jay Slater's final words have been revealed as his friend told an inquest he called her from the 'middle of the mountains' before his phone ran out of battery. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas when he went missing in June last year. When Jay refused to go home after a night out, according to his friend Lucy Law, she got a taxi home with her friend Mr Hodgson. Ms Law - who gave evidence remotely via an autolink - said the next thing she heard was a phone call from Mr Hodgson at 8.30am which woke her up. He told her Jay was 'in the middle of nowhere' and his phone was on one per cent battery. Her first reaction was that he was 'having me on' but Mr Hodgson insisted he was being 'serious'. She called Jay, speaking to him for just over two minutes. Asked by the coroner about their conversation, Ms Law said she asked him: 'What on earth are you doing, where are you?' He replied: 'I'm just in the middle of the mountains.' Saying there are 'mountains everywhere' in Tenerife, Ms Law said: 'I'm panicking, his phone's on 1 per cent.' She said Jay said he needed a drink and asked: 'Are cactuses poisonous or what?' 'I said cactuses are the least of your worries. 'You need to go back to wherever you've just come from and stay there.' But she said Jay refused, saying 'I can't go back there'. Ms Law said she didn't believe the reason Jay wouldn't go back to the Airbnb was that 'something bad' had happened there as he would have mentioned it. 'He was telling me all the problems about his leg and needing a drink. 'I feel if there was something else going on in the Airbnb he probably would have said. 'I feel if there was a reason, some conflict… he probably would have said that first.' Ms Law agreed that the drugs Jay had taken would have affected his decision-making and made him 'more confident'. Ms Law said that on the evening before Jay disappeared - June 16 - she had been watching the England match with Mr Hodgson. Later they were joined by Jay and Mr Geoghegan. She said Jay was 'visibly intoxicated' but not 'in a state'. Both she and Mr Geoghegan went back to their apartments after the football to change, she said. At around midnight they met up with Jay and Mr Geoghegan outside Papagayo for the last night of the festival. Ms Law said the club was 'very busy' inside, 'quite hot' and overcrowded. Asked by the coroner about Jay's demeanour at that point, she said he had clearly 'taken something' but was not 'visibly mangled'. Jay was 'always on a buzz', she added. At around 2am Jay said he was going to the toilet and the bar. When he hadn't returned after about half an hour she went to look for him but could not see him anywhere in the nightclub, she said, and he didn't reply to phone messages. Ms Law said she and her friends left Payagayo at around 2am to look for Jay on Veronica's Strip, saying he was a 'social butterfly' who might have befriended a different group of people. She said Jay sent messages naming other venues he had gone to, but she drew a blank each time she tried to find him. Asked by the coroner why she was so 'worried', Ms Law said she had been to Tenerife several times and 'I wouldn't want any of my mates roaming around on their own'. She was questioned about a message she sent Jay asking where he was, adding: 'If you're not there this time I'm going to be f****** fuming.' Ms Law said Jay kept replying saying where he was 'and then vanishing into thin air'. Finally while she was ordering food from the Magic Mike's takeaway she was forwarded a Snapchat image showing where Jay was. She said she called him and ordered: 'Stay there and don't move.' While Mr Hodgson waited for her food order she ran back to the Strip and found Jay at the bottom of some steps. Ms Law said she told him: 'I've been looking for you for ages.' 'He was laughing his head off,' she added. Ms Law said she told Jay they had 'all been worried about you'. 'He found the whole situation funny.' She said Jay told her: 'There's no way I'm going home.' By now she wanted to go back to her apartment, so she and Mr Hodgson got a taxi while Mr Geoghegan went to meet Jay. Asked by the coroner if she had the impression Jay was 'frightened' in any way, she replied: 'Definitely not.' 'He was just enjoying his night as he usually would.'
Sky News
15 hours ago
- Sky News
Jay Slater took ecstasy and cocaine before he went missing - but did not steal a Rolex watch, inquest hears
British teenager Jay Slater had taken ecstasy, cocaine and possibly ketamine - but did not steal a Rolex watch as he claimed on Snapchat - the night before he went missing in Tenerife, an inquest into his death has heard. Bradley Geoghegan, who was on holiday with Mr Slater on the Spanish island, said the 19-year-old had also been drinking alcohol before he was last seen on 17 June last year. Mr Slater's disappearance sparked a huge search until his body was eventually found by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard in a ravine near the village of Masca around four weeks later on 15 July. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said in May that a post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries, and Mr Slater's body showed no evidence of restraint or assault, with the pattern of injuries consistent with a fall from a height. The teenager, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June. During the night out he was forced to leave a nightclub for being too drunk. However, instead of going back to the apartment he shared with Mr Geoghegan, he went to an Airbnb miles away in the northern village of Masca with two men they had met on the holiday. The next morning Mr Geoghegan said he got a video call from Mr Slater, who was walking along a road and was still "under the influence", Preston Coroner's Court heard. 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'." He added that did not think his friend had any money on him, and taxis in Tenerife insisted on payment up front before carrying a fare. The inquest into Mr Slater's death had begun in May but was adjourned the same day. Dr James Adeley, a senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, made the decision after a number of witnesses who had been asked to give evidence could not be traced or were unable to attend. The adjournment allowed for time to trace the witnesses who had been with him in the hours before he vanished. Witness says Slater didn't steal watch This includes Ayub Qassim - one of the two men staying in the Airbnb that Mr Slater travelled back to. Mr Qassim said he and Steven Roccas, the second man staying in the Airbnb, met Mr Slater and his friends out in Tenerife. He added that Mr Slater asked if he could come back to his and Mr Roccas' apartment on the night before he went missing. Mr Qassim, giving evidence via videolink, told the hearing: "I did say, 'Bro, oh mate, it's so far away from the strip.' There's nothing happening there other than scenery. I said I would drop him off in the morning. He rolled with us." The coroner then asked Mr Qassim about messages Mr Slater had sent about a watch possibly being stolen. Mr Qassim said while still on the strip before leaving for their apartment he saw what he described as a Romanian "Lucky-lucky" man take a watch from another person and tried to sell it to him and Mr Slater. He added: "Jay did not steal no watch. I can say 100%." While on the drive to the Airbnb Mr Slater then posted a message to friends on social media, saying: "Just took a 12k Rolly (Rolex) off some c*** with this Maili (Somalian) kid. Off to get 10 quid (thousand) for it. Off my undies ha, ha, ha." Coroner Dr Adeley asked the witness: "You were not involved in taking a watch?" Mr Qassim replied: "No. And neither was he." He said when they got to his Airbnb he gave Mr Slater a blanket and pillow and told him he could sleep on the sofa before going off to his own bed. Slater said he 'cut his leg on a cactus' Lucy Law, who had to be traced along with Mr Geoghegan and Mr Qassim after the inquest was adjourned in May, was next to speak at the hearing and said Mr Slater was "definitely on a buzz... but not visibly mangled" the night before he went missing. Ms Law said Mr Slater told her "there's no way I'm going home" after she suggested it. She is believed to be the last person to have had contact with the teenager after she spoke to him on a 22-second call on the morning he went missing. He is believed to have said he had cut his leg on a cactus and got lost in the mountains. His phone battery was also said to be on 1% at this point. Meanwhile, the coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick said she was unable to get in touch with Mr Slater's friend Brandon Hodgson and Mr Roccas so that they could give evidence at the inquest.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Shock as woman who vanished in Death Valley is found ALIVE nine months later
A woman who mysteriously vanished in California 's sweltering Death Valley has miraculously been found alive nearly nine months after she disappeared. Kelsey Pittman, 33, from North Carolina, was discovered safe in Colorado, authorities announced on Tuesday without providing further details. Pittman was first reported missing by her family after she stopped communicating with them in November 2024, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. On February 9, 2025, police received a tip about a suspicious vehicle abandoned near an area frequented by campers known as 'The Pads' or 'Slab City' just off Highway 190. Police who responded to the scene found Pittman's 2009 Chevrolet HHR, but she was nowhere in sight. 'This led to the initiation of an extensive missing person investigation and search effort,' the sheriff's office said, noting that it coordinated with several law enforcement agencies and employed drones, cadaver dogs and volunteers in the effort. 'Despite exhaustive ground and aerial searches, no additional physical evidence was found at the site,' the sheriff's office said. Authorities declined to provide additional information. 'Out of respect for her privacy and that of her family, no further details will be released,' the statement read. Pittman had last been seen in November 2024 while making contact with law enforcement in Utah, the sheriff's office said. She was known to visit the Las Vegas area. Her mother had stayed in contact with investigators, even visiting the area to help in the initial search.
The Sun
16 hours ago
- The Sun
Jay Slater inquest LIVE: Brit teen's pal reveals chilling last text she sent as key witness ‘unwilling to give evidence'
JAY Slater's close pal has revealed the last chilling text she sent him before he died - as a key witness is "unwilling to give evidence" on his death. The Brit made a heartbreaking final call to Lucy Mae Law, 20, saying he had cut his leg, was lost and dehydrated just before Jay vanished last year. 4 4 4 Lucy made several revelations as she spoke to the Slater family barrister - including what the pair's final text said. The coroner read out a message Lucy sent Jay that read: "Go back to wherever the f*** you have just come from before it gets boiling." She also believes that Jay gave no indication that he was in trouble or had a bad experience at the Airbnb where he spent his final hours. But during their final phone call at around 8.30am, Jay did tell her he didn't know where he was and that he "couldn't go back". The 20-year-old added that Jay's decision making may have been impaired due to the alcohol and drugs he had taken the night before. Lucy and Brad Hargreaves, friends Jay was on holiday with, and Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, who Jay went to the Airbnb with, all failed to attend the first inquest hearing in May. Lucy's family revealed she was on holiday on the very same island where Jay died and totally unaware the inquest was going on. An emotional plea from Debbie to trace them and compel them to give evidence prompted coroner Dr James Adeley to postpone the inquest until today. Debbie told the hearing in May: "There are things that we want to question. We want these people in front of us. "My son went on holiday and didn't come back so there are questions we need to ask. Please." But staff at the coroner's office said they have been unable to make contact with another witness - Brandon Hodgson. The family's barrister Lois Norris said Hodgson "appeared unwilling to give evidence" from a message thread. Lucy's evidence came after Brad spoke to the court - and convicted drug dealer Qassim also gave his side of the story. Qassim, one of the final people to see Jay alive, addressed the hearing via videolink from another country. Jay's body was found in a ravine in the remote Rural de Teno National Park last July after an agonising 29-day search. Apprentice bricklayer Jay flew to the Spanish island last June to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas with two friends, Lucy and Brad. After a night of partying on June 17, the teen travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men - Qassim and Roccas. Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, phoned Brad after he left the Airbnb at around 8am and attempted to make the treacherous walk to his holiday apartment in sweltering heat. Scroll down to read the latest on the Jay Slater inquest... Today, 09:00 By Katie Davis I was there when Jay's body was found – this is why the case still haunts me "You covered Jay Slater, didn't you?" It's a question I've been asked time and again for the best part of a year now. And every time it makes my stomach churn as their eyes light up, hoping I will lift the lid on the ridiculous conspiracy theories they've lapped up. Jay's story is one I have followed from the moment he went missing in Tenerife on June 17 last year - and it is one of those cases that will never leave me. I was never convinced by the relentless armchair detectives - nor the outlets that regurgitated baseless theories. Outrageous claims include that Jay skipped the island on a yacht, fell foul of a drug cartel, and had been tied up hostage with chains. Jay's grieving mum wept as she opened up to me following his untimely death - and as I looked her in the eyes, I could feel the unspeakable toll of pain she was suffering. I was the only reporter in the mountains of Masca when police confirmed Jay's body had been found, and I can still feel the shock pulsing through me after a long 29-day search. Today, 08:56 By Katie Davis Why was the last hearing adjourned? The last inquest hearing into Jay's death was adjourned after his grieving mum begged the coroner to summon crucial witnesses. Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley told the hearing in May that Lucy is among those who could not be tracked down to give evidence. He said Lucy and Brad - who attended Jay's funeral in Accrington last August - "can't be located". Dr Adeley told Preston Coroner's Court as Jay's family sat in silence: "We can't find them. "They have stopped responding to phone calls. "When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities." Coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick also revealed extensive attempts to trace other witnesses, including Qassim who the Met Police were unable to locate. Mum Debbie pleaded for the coroner to do more to summon Qassim and the other man Jay went to the Airbnb with, Steven Roccas. Dr Adeley paused the hearing before adjourning it to today.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Jay Slater 'did not seem threatened', friend tells inquest
One of the last people to speak to Jay Slater said the 19-year-old did not seem threatened as he made his way home from an Airbnb he had gone to with two men he had met in a nightclub in Tenerife, an inquest has Slater, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing on the Spanish island on 17 June 2024, shortly after speaking to his friend Bradley Geoghegan on the by coroner Dr James Adeley if Mr Slater "seemed fearful or under duress", Mr Geoghehan said: "No," adding he had "probably... sobered up and decided to come back".A huge search was launched, and his body was found in a ravine near the village of Masca on 15 July. The inquest heard he had taken drugs and alcohol on a night out and had a 14-hour walk Geoghegan, who had gone on holiday with Mr Slater, said his friend had taken ecstasy pills, and possibly ketamine, along with cocaine and alcohol, on the night out before he disappeared. The court heard Mr Slater had been forced to leave a nightclub because he was so drunk and instead of going back to the apartment he shared with Mr Geoghegan, he went to an Airbnb, miles away, with two men they had met on the next morning Mr Geoghegan said he got a video call from Mr Slater, who was walking along a road and was still "under the influence", the inquest 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'."The witness said he did not think his friend had any money on him, and taxis in Tenerife insisted on payment up front before carrying a Dr James Adeley asked the witness: "Did you get the impression he was in any way threatened or fearful, or under duress in a difficult situation?"Mr Geoghegan replied: "No. I think he probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?', sobered up and decided to come back."Mr Slater, had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas, on 16 June last Slater vanished the morning after going to the Airbnb and was reported missing to Spanish police on 18 heard during the inquest suggested he had left the holiday let, and after failing to get a bus or taxi, attempted to walk back to his own apartment and had fallen from a height into a ravine.A huge search was launched before his body was found by a mountain rescue team almost a month later. 'No evidence of assault' Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, had asked for the inquest into the death to be resumed on Thursday after a number of witnesses did not attend the last hearing in Adeley agreed to adjourn the inquest to trace the witnesses, those who had been with him in the hours before he hearing in May heard from a number of witnesses, including toxicology expert Dr Stephanie court heard analysis showed traces of drugs, including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy, along with alcohol, were found in Mr Slater's Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said his post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries, and Mr Slater's body showed no evidence of restraint or assault, with the pattern of injuries consistent with a fall from a height. 'Off his head' Det Ch Insp Rachel Higson, from Lancashire Constabulary, said police had analysed Mr Slater's phone the night out he had received phone messages from friends telling him to go home as he was "off his head".Phone location data suggested Mr Slater had travelled to the Airbnb and the next morning and left the property at about from Spanish witnesses said they were approached and asked by Mr Slater about buses or taxis to take him messages from friends warned him about the "boiling" heat of the day, but activity data on his phone stopped at 08:51, suggesting his phone battery had died. The next witness, Ayub Qassim, said he and a friend, Steven Roccas, met Mr Slater and his friends out in said he had been in a different venue then later met Mr Slater and Mr Geoghegan getting something to eat after the clubs said Mr Slater asked if he could come back to his and Mr Roccas' Qassim, giving evidence via videolink, told the hearing: "I did say, 'Bro, oh mate, it's so far away from the strip'."There's nothing happening there other than scenery. I said I would drop him off in the morning. He rolled with us." 'Did not steal' The coroner then asked the witness about messages Mr Slater had sent about a watch possibly being inquest was shown a Snapchat video featuring a short clip of a car dashboard with a caption referring to taking a "12k rolly" and being off to "get 10 quid for it".He added: "Jay did not steal no watch. I can say one hundred per cent."Asked to explain the social media post by Mr Slater, the witness said: "He could be boasting to his friends. He's on a buzz, so maybe it could be that. Sometimes people do exaggerate."The coroner said: "But so far as you are concerned, none of that is true?"Mr Qassim said: "No. One hundred per cent. I didn't see a watch. At this point he's just firing off messages."He said when they got to his Airbnb he gave Mr Slater a blanket and pillow and told him he could sleep on the sofa before going off to his own bed. 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.
