'I traced Jay Slater's every move in Tenerife - his tragic final mistake still haunts me'

'I traced Jay Slater's every move in Tenerife - his tragic final mistake still haunts me' EXCLUSIVE: Two years on from Jay Slater's death in Rural de Teno National Park, Tenerife, the Mirror speaks to an investigator who saw first-hand just how gruelling his final moments would have been It's been two years since Jay Slater died in a remote part of Tenerife, and the terrain where he vanished remains as unforgiving as ever. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, from Lancashire, disappeared on his first holiday abroad with friends. Waking up in a Airbnb after a night out, the teen embarked on a gruelling 11-hour trek back to his own accomodation after missing the local bus. Shortly before his phone died, he warned friends who he had been staying with that he was thirsty and had no clue where he was. For four weeks, Spanish police searched within the depths of the Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve in Tenerife, close to where Jay's phone last pinged. His mum Debbie Duncan, dad Warren Slater, and older brother Zak all helped in the desperate bid to find their 'beautiful son' but it was tragically too late. After mountain rescue teams combed through the dense vegetation and steep ravines in scorching temperatures, 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. Fingerprints later confirmed it was Jay as the body was 'very deteriorated'. An inquest found that the teen suffered a "heavy fall from height" - and the "devastating" effects would have been immediate. Toxicology tests revealed that Jay had taken cocaine, MDMA and alcohol prior to his death. The Spanish authorities also conducted their own toxicology analysis, which found that he had also used ketamine, both shortly before his death and over a longer period. Former Detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who worked with Jay's family during his disappearance, tells the Mirror of the teen's harrowing final journey: "Jay had no experience or knowledge of how rough that terrain was going to be. He probably started to realise as he set off. "But don't forget he had been strongly under the influence of both drugs and alcohol. And so his decision-making process was impaired. That terrain there is lethal as we found out. One minute you're on a steady piece of ground, the next there's a plunging cliff". Jay had no idea, but the exact area he was walking is so deadly "even professionals" deem it a dangerous place, Mark explains. "The only chance of making it home was to follow the road," the former detective tells us of Jay's tragic final error. "That was his only chance for making it at home. And even that was incredibly dangerous and very lengthy because the road there is treacherous in itself, and this is a proper road. "There's some bends around there, which are lethal. As soon as you go off the road you're in a treacherous area. He had no phone, he had no fluids with him, and he was obviously under the influence of both drink and drugs, and he was tired. All of that is a recipe for disaster." Speaking about the gruelling terrain, Mark, who has first-hand experience exploring it, explains: "Some of those areas are only approachable with people with considerable experience in mountaineering", and would require proper kit, including ropes. In his view, these are not routes anyone should attempt solo. With the only clue the ping from the phone mast, a huge search got underway, but the rugged landscape was by no means easy to comb through. Helicopters, drones, and huge teams of volunteers and local authorities worked together, with some having to hack through thick vegetation with machetes. "The experts up there were very coordinated," Mark tells us about the search effort. "They were doing a strategical search up there, they obviously were working from his last point of where his signal went down. But so many of these people were working on the basis that hopefully he's made it through, so checking outbuildings, checking areas where potentially he could be sheltering. It was boiling hot. In order to find him as they did, they had to themselves negotiate really dangerous cliff edges to be able to get down to him." Eventually his body was discovered in the Juan Lopez Ravine - an area even experienced hikers would avoid, with almost vertical inclines. He had suffered catastrophic head injuries, and likely died almost instantly from a fall. His death was ruled to be accidental. Tenerife, along with all the Canary Islands, remains a hugely popular destination with Brits, and the unforgettable landscapes that Jay tragically got lost in are part of the draw. The mountainous national park has been so popular with visitors that the local government even brought in new charges and rules surrounding entry - though it remains free to locals - in an attempt to conserve the national park. But accidents have continued to occur in the rural areas of Tenerife, despite many safety measures being enforced. Fully charged phones, water, proper hiking footwear are all mandatory before taking on the rocky trails, and for many routes you must have a permit sorted out in advance, or you will be denied entry. Below, we look at the tragedies that have plauged the island since Jay's death... Hiking horrors A 63-year-old woman hiking in the Roques de García area within the Teide National Park had to be hospitalised after a fall last week, and on March 7, a rock climber, aged 41, tragically died after falling in a ravine in the Cuevas de Igonse area of Candelaria. In March 2026, an intensive search for a 35-year-old German woman took place in the harsh landscape of Mirador de Hilda, in Macizo de Teno. It is, per Canarian Weekly, some of the "most inaccessible terrain" on the island. She had vanished on February 26 and the emergency services called about 9.15pm that evening, but progress was slow going. Her body was eventually recovered three days later. Firefighters, police, and specialist mountain rescue officers from GREIM meticulously searched the area one metre at a time, but due to unstable cliffs and terrifyingly steep drops, they were unable to search overnight. Canarian Weekly reports: "The Mirador de Hilda area, while popular with tourists for its breathtaking views, has long been known for its steep paths, loose surfaces and sudden weather changes, all of which can make hiking hazardous even for experienced walkers." Meanwhile, just six months before Jay's tragic death, the bodies of two hikers were discovered in Teide National Park, with reports claiming that they likely perished from either a fall or hypothermia. Mystery of German man Another case, chillingly similar to Jay's, saw a young man seemingly vanish into thin air in summer 2022 - with his family left haunted for years about his fate. The 23-year-old from Germany had reportedly been travelling in Grand Canaria before he disappeared on August 4, 2022. His phone was tracked to the Eastern coast of neighbouring Tenerife, but after his family lost contact with him they never heard from him again. It was more than two and a half years before they would find any closure, when his remains were found on February 5, 2025. He had to be identified using DNA testing, and much like Jay, had injuries consistent with a fall in an area that contained thick vegetation. Wildfires had raged through the area since he disappeared, and his body had seemingly been there all along, with traces of fire present in his remains. His devastated family said upon finally learning what happened to the young man: "Now we have certainty and can begin to say goodbye." They thanked those who had searched tirelessly for him, and asked for privacy as they came to terms with the tragedy. Dragged out to sea Accidents have not been limited to the unforgiving mountainous landscapes of the national parks. The picturesque beaches have also presented dangers of their own - with tidal surges repeatedly claiming lives of beachgoers. In November 2025, three people lost their lives to massive waves battering the coastline: a man close to a beach in Granadilla, a woman who was dragged into the ocean at Puerto de la Cruz, and another man who died at Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A total of 15 other people were injured by the huge waves, and emergency services issued an urgent warning that in such conditions everyone should stay far away from the island's coastlines, and avoid the temptation to approach the water to capture pictures of the dramatic waves. A month later in December 2025, four more people died after being dragged out to sea by powerful waves. The remains of a man and a woman and a third person who had been swimming in a popular tourist hotspot were found after an intense rescue operation, including the use of jet skis and helicopters. A fourth woman was revived initially, but died later in hospital. The group had been swimming in a pool at Isla Cangrejo, on the Los Gigantes coast, which has a volcanic rock wall and cement separating it from the sea. In the turbulent conditions that bring large waves, it turns from a popular tourist attraction to a deadly risk, with waves easily big enough to broach the barrier and sweep anyone swimming out to see, as this group tragically were. 'Death trap' photo opp A long abandoned building in the Añaza neighbourhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has presented a deadly draw to tourists for decades. Construction on the 22 floor hotel began in 1973, but was stopped just a couple of years later and never completed. Holidaymakers have been known to climb the massive shell of a building to take photographs, leading some to dub it a "death trap". Five people are reported to have died in the unfinished structure which sits on the coastline since it was abandoned, and two tourists snuck in this January, only leaving when they were forced out by local police and threatened with fines. Deadly bus crash On another Canary Island, La Gomera, a coach of tourists plunged into a ravine during a deadly crash - a 77 year old man lost his life, and 27 more Brits were injured. The passengers were all travelling to nearby Tenerife, and those seriously injured were taken to hospital on the island by helicopter to treat their injuries. The crash occurred around 1pm on April 10 on the GM-2 road, that travels along a mountain with terrifying hairpin turns - five ambulances and three helicopters were sent by the local authorities to deal with the aftermath of the harrowing incident.