Jay Slater's dad outlines what happened with missing keys as he shares new theory
The unresolved mystery of apprentice bricklayer Jay Slater's tragic demise continues to haunt his father, Warren. Jay, hailing from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished on June 17, 2024, whilst attending a three-day music festival with friends in Tenerife.
Despite an intensive month-long search operation, the 19-year-old's body was found on July 15 near Masca village, in close proximity to where he was last seen.
An initial autopsy suggested 'fall or plunge from height' as the likely cause of death, a conclusion backed by the Civil Guard's report of multiple fractures sustained by Jay. However, the reason for his solo excursion that fateful night remains a mystery, leaving his family searching for answers.
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Amidst the agony and unanswered questions, Warren Slater has taken to TikTok to share updates on his son's case. His recent video post, with more than 50,000 views, confirms the legitimacy of his account and sheds light on a clue he discovered: "Just to show a video to confirm this is my account. The keys I found do belong to Down the Rapids guy. I found them at the end of the path."
Warren's TikTok journey is a personal one, as he explains: "I haven't been back to Tenerife ever since I came back from looking for my son. The videos that I've been posting are just documentation of what I was up to, where I was searching, things I was looking at while I was out there and that's it.," reports the Mirror.
Warren has claimed that the keys he discovered, initially thought to be the lost apartment keys of Jay, actually belonged to TikTok detective Paul Arnott, aka Down the Rapids, who ventured to Spain aiming to assist in helping with the case. It appears Jay had reported his keys missing the evening before his disappearance.
The Sun reports a message from Jay to Ayub Qassim, the last known individual to see Jay alive, concerning his misplaced keys. Mr Qassim is said to have subsequently offered Jay accommodation for the night at his rented Airbnb and transported him there during the early Monday hours.
By 8am, it's thought that Jay set out on what would be an arduous 11-hour journey by foot to his own apartment. Jay's own uncle, Glen Duncan, has voiced doubts about the idea that the absence of a hotel room key could spur such a lengthy trek.
Glen told The Sun: "The fact he has come out and said all his mates have left him and he had nowhere to go, he was 10 minutes from his apartment in Los Cristianos. He's not stupid. If he didn't have a room key he could have gone to reception for a replacement."
Mr Qassim's account suggests that Jay returned to the Airbnb, Casa Abuela Tina, after being deserted by friends who departed early. Mark Williams-Thomas, an ex-police detective who worked closely with Jay's family in Tenerife to follow up on various leads, previously said: "Jay wanted to carry on partying and he said he had nowhere to stay, so he [Qassim] said he could come back to his.
"In the car, they played music and chatted before stopping to get a drink at a cafe just prior to entering the mountains. [Qassim] was driving, his friend was in the passenger seat, and Jay was in the back."