'I retraced Jay Slater's last steps - what I found was bone chilling'

A woman who dedicated her time to retracing footsteps has revealed the scary findings she came across during her mission.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, in Tenerife's rugged Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve on July 15, 2024, following a month-long search. An inquest into Jay's death is now underway at Preston Coroner's Court, with devastated mum .

On the 11th day of the frantic search for Jay, who had been holidaying with pals when he went missing, TV presenter Isla Traquair, 44, travelled to the popular holiday island where the teenager was last seen, retracing his last known steps for .

In her report to hosts and , Isla revealed footage of the Airbnb where the apprentice bricklayer was last seen, as well as the road it's believed he walked along after deciding not to wait for a bus that final morning.

READ MORE:

"I actually attempted to climb a bit – I don't know if you can see this, but directly down from where I am, there's a layby which is the most obvious place if he was going to try and cut off," Isla said.

"I'm pretty good, I'm Scottish, I climb hills.... but it is treacherous and as soon as you go off, once you start going up, it's almost better to keep going, because once you come down, you just slide."

In her report, Isla emphasised just how extreme and dangerous the route was. Isla highlighted "sneaky little paths" along the mountainside and attempted to climb one of them. "It's easier to go up than it is to go down," she recalled. But there is really dense bush and cacti, and you could easily end up falling and being hidden."

The now-adjourned inquest at Preston Coroner's Court has clarified a host of facts, shedding further light on Jay's cause of death and his tragic final moments.

Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Jay may have died "in an instant" after falling into the ravine, stating the fall would have had an "immediate and devastating effect on Jay's consciousness". He added that the teen had sustained "severe" injuries before concluding the official cause of death was a head injury, agreeing with an earlier consensus offered by Spanish pathologists.

He said: "The injuries were so severe I have no doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. Death could well have been instant, the injury was so severe. Jay would undoubtedly be unconscious and unaware. It's most likely death would have occurred instantly or extremely soon afterwards."

Dr Shepherd told the inquest that he had considered whether Jay was restrained or assaulted before his death, and that this was "something I would always look to identify". He ultimately concluded that there was "nothing to suggest" the teen had been assaulted or restrained.

The pathologist said: "That's something I considered very carefully, something I would always look to identify. The pattern of the injuries when someone is assaulted or restrained are very different from the type of injuries and pattern I found with Jay."

When questioned whether there was anything "to suggest that was the case" the pathologist added: "Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort."

Do you have a story to share? Email niamh.kirk@reachplc.com

READ MORE: