Teenager Jay Slater had taken ecstasy, cocaine and alcohol before disappearing in Tenerife last summer, an inquest heard. The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, faced a 14-hour walk home after becoming stranded at an Airbnb miles from his accommodation.
Bradley Geoghegan, who had gone on holiday with Slater, told Preston Coroner's Court his friend had consumed ecstasy pills, possibly ketamine, cocaine and alcohol during their night out. Slater had been forced to leave a nightclub because he was so drunk before going to the remote Airbnb with two men they had met on holiday.
Video call revealed predicament
The next morning, Geoghegan received a video call from Slater, who was walking along a road and still "under the influence". When Geoghegan told him to check his location on maps, it showed a 14-hour walk or one-hour drive back to their apartment.
"I said, 'Get a taxi back', then he just goes, 'I will ring you back'," Geoghegan told the court. He believed his friend had no money, and taxis in Tenerife required payment upfront before carrying passengers.
No signs of distress
Coroner Dr James Adeley asked whether Slater appeared threatened or fearful during the call. Geoghegan replied: "No. I think he probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?', sobered up and decided to come back."
Slater had been holidaying on the Spanish island and attended the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas on 16 June last year. He vanished the morning after going to the Airbnb and was reported missing on 18 June.
Body found after month-long search
Evidence suggested Slater left the holiday accommodation and, after failing to get transport, attempted to walk back to his apartment before falling from height into a ravine. A huge search was launched before his body was discovered on 15 July by a Spanish Civil Guard mountain rescue team near Masca village.
Phone data analysis revealed Slater received messages from friends on the night out telling him to go home as he was "off his head". Location data showed he travelled to the Airbnb and left the property at about 7.45am the following morning.
Dangerous terrain claimed life
Spanish witnesses said Slater approached them asking about buses or taxis home. Friends later warned him about the "boiling" heat, but phone activity stopped at 8.51am, suggesting his battery had died.
Marieke Krans from Dutch rescue charity Signi Zoekhonden said the area where the body was found was about three-and-a-half hours' walk from the Airbnb. She described it as "really steep, really dangerous" where it was "easy" to lose your footing.
Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd determined the cause of death as head injuries, with no evidence of restraint or assault. The pattern of injuries was consistent with a fall from height, while toxicology tests confirmed traces of cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and alcohol in Slater's body.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
