Jay Slater's mother has disclosed her son's tragic final Snapchat message - as well as condemning armchair detectives for peddling conspiracy theories about the teenager. Debbie Duncan, 57, shared the devastating detail in a new Channel 4 documentary, The Disappearance of Jay Slater, as she battles to reclaim her 19-year-old son's memory from the clutches of online conspiracy theorists.
The apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire vanished in Tenerife's treacherous mountains last June, sparking a media storm and a barrage of wild speculation that Debbie brands "the work of the devil". Debbie recounted logging into Jay's Snapchat after retrieving his phone, only to find the message had pinged through to his pal Bradley Geoghegan.
She said: "It gave Brad a fright. He messaged me straight away: 'Are you on Jay's phone?' The last message he sent... 'Listen, I'm not going to make it.' It's like he knew he just wasn't going to make it."
The documentary, which airs on Sunday, outlines Jay's final hours with unprecedented access, including haunting CCTV footage.
Jay, on holiday for the NRG music festival with friends Lucy Law and Bradley, partied at Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas before heading to a remote Airbnb in Masca with two men he had met: Ayub Qassim and Steven "Rocky" Roccas.
CCTV captures him at Tramps nightclub around 3am, his last known sighting before a 6.22am Snapchat pinpointing his location en route to the villa.
At 7.21am, he posted a final clip from outside the Airbnb. Mystery surrounds the circumstancs in which he left, but by 8.50am, he made a desperate 22-second call to Lucy, saying he was lost, dehydrated, and had cut his leg on a cactus, with just 1% battery. His phone died mid-call, prompting a frantic search.
Debbie revealed "a lot of activity" on Jay's iPhone that night - around 70 calls - before it went silent. His body was found 29 days later in the Juan Lopez ravine, a "particularly dangerous" spot in Rural de Teno Park.
A post-mortem examination confirmed death from a massive skull fracture, consistent with an 80ft fall.
Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd noted the injury caused "instant unconsciousness and almost certainly instant death". He could not entirely rule out a push - but an inquest found no third-party involvement.
However, 15 months on, internet sleuths persist with outlandish theories: for example, that Jay was kidnapped by drug dealers, staging his death, or alive and plotting to reclaim GoFundMe cash.
Debbie slammed them as "shocking," saying they've "completely dehumanised" her son. She received a chilling WhatsApp: "Your son won't be coming back.
"He owes us enough f****** money. Kiss goodbye to him."
The family, including dad Warren and brother Zak, retraced Jay's steps for the film, keeping his last outfit boxed as "proof" against doubters.
Debbie unpacked his Armani bag on camera: provisional licence, aftershave, lighters - poignant reminders of a "normal" lad.
Now, Debbie is lobbying MP Sarah Smith for regulations curbing misinformation on missing persons. She explained: "Social media is good for awareness, but can be torture. If I can save another family from this trauma, it'll be worth it."
The frenzy exposed the dark side of online sleuthing, sending the family on "wild goose chases" amid a burning sun search.
As Debbie fights for Jay's name, she hopes the doc "shuts down the trolls" - a stark warning that unchecked conspiracies destroy lives.
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