Jay Slater: Everything we know as inquest unveils new details about teenager's death

An inquest into the death of Jay Slater has heard this week that the friends he was on holiday with “can’t be located.”

In June 2024, 19-year-old Mr Slater disappeared after attending a music festival in Tenerife, which prompted an island-wide search mission.

His body was found at the bottom of a steep ravine by Spanish police almost one month later, with a subsequent investigation concluding he died from a head injury consistent with the fall.

This week, the apprentice bricklayer’s family attended Preston Coroner's Court, where they heard further details about the investigation alongside witness testaments.

However, Lancashire senior coroner Dr James Adeley told the hearing that police have been unable to locate a number of Mr Slater’s friends.

“We can't find them, they have stopped responding to phone calls,” Mr Adeley said. “When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities.”

Here’s everything we know about what happened.

The apprentice bricklayer was attending the three-day NRG music festival on the Spanish island in June 2024 with his friends before his disappearance. During the festival, he is thought to have left with two men he met at the event.

Prior to his disappearance, Mr Slater frantically called his friend Lucy Law, with just one percent phone battery, saying he was lost after leaving the villa and trying to walk back to his own accommodation, having missed a bus.

He said he had “cut his leg on a cactus and had no idea where he was”, and that he needed water. He then vanished.

On June 18, friends alerted the authorities to his disappearance, which prompted a wide-scale search and international attention. Relatives from his hometown of Oswaldtwistle flew out to aid the search.

Speaking to Sky News at the time, Mr Slater’s dad said he is “just hoping that somebody has helped him off this mountain”.

A subsequent fundraiser set up by Ms Law friend called Get Jay Slater home, has raised more than £32,500 with well-wishers hoping for the teen’s speedy return. However, the case has also sparked huge interest online, with Mr Slater’s family hitting out at armchair detectives posting unfounded conspiracy theories - including attempting to access Mr Slater’s social media.

Mr Slater’s body was later found in a remote ravine by mountain rescue and Spanish authorities on July 15, 2024. A coroner concluded that he died from a traumatic head injury.

Slater’s family attended Preston Coroner’s Court on Wednesday for a one-day hearing about the circumstances surrounding his tragic death.

During the inquest, toxicology experts revealed that it had been challenging to check the presence of drugs or alcohol due to the state of decomposition, but they found traces of MDMA and MDA in his body.

A pathologist also confirmed that Mr Slater had suffered “extensive fractures” to his head and that “the pattern of the injuries were entirely consistent with a heavy fall, a fall from a height, landing on his head.”

When questioned, the pathologist also maintained there was “nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort.”

The inquest also heard that several of Mr Slater’s friends couldn’t be located to give evidence, including Ms Law who was the last person to speak to Slater over the phone.

Brad Hargreaves, who was also on holiday with Mr Slater, similarly couldn’t be located, nor could convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, who is also considered a witness.

Jay's father then told the court: "The two people who can put some light on whatever happened to Jay aren't in court today."

The inquest is yet to be concluded.