999 call reveals mother's plea as Jay Slater's Tenerife disappearance is documented
Channel 4 documentary provides new footage and a coroner's ruling that Jay Slater's death was accidental after his fall in Masca ravine
A Channel 4 documentary on the disappearance of Jay Slater reveals the never-before-heard 999 call made by his mother, Debbie Duncan, as authorities and family members continue to process what happened in Tenerife last year. The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was later found dead in a ravine near Masca after a 29-day search that drew global attention to the island. An inquest held in July concluded that Slater died by accident after tumbling from a height of more than 60 feet.
Debbie Duncan’s 999 call is shown in the program, capturing the moment she learned her son had vanished while he was abroad. “Jay’s missing, he didn’t come back last night,” she tells the Lancashire Police operator after a colleague relayed the news from another family member. Duncan describes her shock and panic, saying, “My legs were just like jelly, I’ve just gone into panic.” In the same exchange, she is told that Jay had been located far from his Los Cristianos base, up a mountain, and she relays his last-known circumstances, including that his phone was on 1 percent and he was alone in the mountains. The documentary also presents the final messages and other details from the investigation surrounding Jay’s disappearance, including a posthumous message reportedly sent from his iPhone after it was returned to his family years later.
The program provides a broad timeline of events in the days surrounding Jay Slater’s disappearance. He had attended the NRG music festival with friends in Playa de las Américas on June 16 and was reported missing on June 18. Investigators say he was driven to Masca, a rural area in the mountains, by Ayub Qassim, a man later described in court records as a convicted drug dealer, and Steven Roccas. A Snapchat sent at about 6 a.m. showed Slater’s location near Masca. He left the Airbnb later that morning saying he was going to walk to a bus stop and return to Los Cristianos, but he never did. The footage and interviews indicate he attempted a long walk home, calling and messaging friends as he went, including a late-morning call to his sister or friend Lucy.
The coroner’s inquest, conducted in Lancashire, concluded that there was no evidence of foul play or involvement by others in Slater’s death. Dr. James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, said the circumstances pointed to an accidental fall. He noted that Slater’s injuries were consistent with a fall from a height estimated between 65 and 82 feet and that the medical evidence suggested he would have died instantly. The inquest also reviewed CCTV footage that traced Slater’s final hours in the early hours after leaving nightclubs in Masca; it showed him at Papagayo at 11:55 p.m. and leaving at 1:04 a.m., followed by a message at 2:40 a.m. indicating difficulty entering Papagayo due to being marked on—an apparent deterrent referenced in the footage. A Snapchat from Lucy at 2:48 a.m. urged him to head home, and Slater was last seen on camera at Tramps nightclub at 3:07 a.m. among a large crowd of revelers.
The documentary also reveals items found with Slater’s belongings near his body, including his driving license, aftershave, and lighters, which his mother slowly explored in a scene filmed after the inquest. Duncan explains that she has not unpacked his suitcase and still smells his clothing, underscoring the lasting pain of the loss. The film notes that after authorities recovered his iPhone 14 in November 2024, Slater’s mother accessed his Snapchat and discovered an unsent message to a friend that reads, “Listen, I’m not going to make it.” The friend reportedly contacted Slater’s family in a state of alarm upon receiving the message.
Public attention to Jay Slater’s disappearance intensified as journalists and social media users speculated about what happened during the dawn hours in the Tenerife mountains. The case prompted discussions about the dangers of night-time walks in unfamiliar terrain, the role of friends and associates in the immediate aftermath, and the challenges of coordinating international missing-person searches in remote locations.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater airs Sunday, September 28 at 9:00 p.m. on Channel 4, and the documentary promises to present additional CCTV footage, messages, and the family’s perspective on the long and painful process of seeking answers after such a tragedy.