Death of Jay Slater



On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on the island of Tenerife, Spain, after attempting to walk ten hours back to his accommodation as a result of missing a bus. Slater had attended a music festival in south Tenerife with two friends the day before his disappearance.

On 30 June 2024, Tenerife police stated that they were discontinuing the search for Slater, although the investigation remained open. In fact the search continued under a court order of secrecy, to avoid "curious onlookers" due to the high level of interest in the case, and on 15 July 2024, the Spanish police reported the discovery of a body in the vicinity of the area of interest, later confirmed by the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands to be that of Jay Slater. It is suspected he suffered an accident or fall.

After Slater's disappearance, the Lancashire Post reported that Oswaldtwistle had "turned the streets blue" with hundreds of ribbons. Following the confirmed death, the local Member of Parliament, Sarah Smith, said that she was assisting the family in getting government support.

Disappearance
Slater attended the three-day NRG Music Festival at Papagayo Beach Club in south Tenerife on the afternoon of 16 June 2024. After the festival, Slater went to the mountain village of Masca with two men he met at the festival, Ayub Qassim and an unnamed man, both of whom police have deemed to be unconnected to the disappearance.

On 17 June, at around 08:00 WEST, Ofelia Medina Hernandez – the last known person to meet with Slater – told him that his bus was due at 10:00. Hernandez recalled driving past Slater as he "walked fast" in the "wrong direction". Hernandez owned the cafe/villa Casa Abuela Tina in Masca.

Fifty minutes later, at 08:50, Slater called his friend Lucy Mae Law to tell her that he was "lost", as he attempted to walk from Masca to where he was staying in Los Cristianos on the south coast of Tenerife, a distance of 45 km. Slater said that his phone had 1% battery and that he needed water. His last known location is the Rural de Teno National Park. He also made a video call to his friend Brad Hargreaves who thought he slipped on gravel. At 09:04, Slater was reported missing.

Investigation and search


On 25 June, police officers looking for Slater stumbled across a Scottish hiker in a ravine. The 51-year-old was reported missing on 21 June after failing to return from a hike near where Slater was last seen. Officers stated that he would not have managed to get out of the ravine "by his own means" due to the "difficulty and lack of communication" in the area, but the hiker stated that he was experienced and did not need rescuing.

Local Guardia Civil and rescuers also searched a 2,000-foot-deep ravine in the Teno Nature Reserve, as well as Masca and surrounding areas in the hunt for Slater. On 30 June 2024, the search for Slater was discontinued by the Guardia Civil.

On 15 July 2024, the Spanish police reported the discovery of human remains in the vicinity of the area of interest, close to the last known location of Slater's mobile. This was Juan Lopez ravine, some 10km from the coast.

Confirmation of death
On Tuesday 16 July 2024, an autopsy by the local authorities confirmed a body found in the area was that of Jay Slater. The autopsy proposed that he passed away as a result of injuries from an accidental fall.

Responses
On 18 June, Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, flew to Tenerife.

On 21 June, Lancashire Constabulary published a statement regarding Slater's disappearance. It said they have "specialist officers who are continuing to support Jay's family", and have offered support to the Guardia Civil who rejected it, however, the offer remains open and they will be in contact should their position change.

On 22 June, the NRG (New Rave Generation) Music Festival, which Slater attended before his disappearance, released a statement.

Slater's disappearance led to some press reporting of the disappearance of Kevin Ainley twenty years previously. Ainley was from Lancashire, living in Yorkshire and had relocated to south Tenerife a few months before his disappearance in June 2004 which was not widely reported at the time. Another comparable case was that of Steven Cook who went missing in Crete but was found dead with an inquest recording an open verdict.

Social media
Following the start of a fundraiser, GoFundMe published a statement, with a spokesperson saying "all campaigns are under review and no money will be transferred unless we can verify it goes straight to his family". This came after widespread online speculation about the intention of how the money would be used. Facebook group administrator Rachel Louise Harg said the funds raised would go to Slater's friends and family staying in Tenerife.

As with the death of Nicola Bulley, a number of conspiracy theories were posted on social media regarding Slater's disappearance. On TikTok, over 30 million videos were made under the tag "Jay Slater Opinions", many of which were speculation that Slater was tricking everyone for money. Slater's uncle feared third-party involvement. Some social media users have also engaged in trolling which has been criticised. Author of Troll Hunting and global cyberhate expert, Ginger Gorman said it gives trolls targeting Slaters family, a feeling of power and was depressing but not surprising in respect of Slater. Another author of a book on social media, Dr. Sara Polak said it is 'apophenia' and fits in with the cultural trope that 19 year-old boys are not to be trusted.

Sarah Manavis in the magazine New Statesman cited the case as an example of how "if our true-crime culture is not contained now, we will be forever desensitised to stories of personal tragedy", in reference to the conspiracy theories, accusations and mockery that were made about Jay Slater on social media before and after he was found dead.