Jay Slater autopsy debunks cruel rumour in new Channel 4 documentary

A documentary aiming to shed light on the mystery surrounding Jay Slater's death has debunked a cruel social media theory.

The 19-year-old vanished on 17 June 2024, sparking a massive search before his body was discovered in a remote area near the village of Masca, Tenerife, four weeks later.

Jay Slater's disappearance last summer triggered a flurry of online speculation and conspiracy theories, fuelled by armchair detectives on social media. The case drew global attention, with over 30 million videos online speculating about Jay's fate, but one particular claim deeply upset his family.

• Jay Slater's harrowing final words before death revealed by friend Lucy Law
• Haunting final photo of Jay Slater taken just hours before he died

Viewers will see the persistent rumour that there was any third-party criminal involvement in Jay's disappearance, including a theory that he was murdered after nicking a £12,000 Rolex, thoroughly discredited.

During an inquest into his death at Preston Crown Court, Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd revealed that Jay's body was already decomposing when he examined it. However, he confirmed that the teenager's cause of death was a head injury. A CT scan showed there was "a severe fracture of the head."

He elaborated: "There were extensive changes due to decomposition. There were changes due to the period of time he was lying in a hot environment - changes I would expect to see in that period of 28 days or thereabouts."

Dr Shepherd explained that Jay suffered multiple injuries, but "that to the head is by far the most important one in understanding why Jay died". He stated this involved "the application of considerable force" and added: "The pattern of injuries is entirely consistent with a heavy fall from height."

Dr Shepherd informed the inquest that even if Jay had been admitted to a specialist neurosurgical unit, the head injury was so severe it is highly unlikely he could have survived. "The injury is so severe that death was either instantaneous or extremely quick," he said.

The Spanish authorities also concluded that the cause of Jay's death was a severe traumatic brain injury. During the inquest, it emerged that Jay confessed to stealing the luxury timepiece and was photographed with knives hours before his death.

Between 5:03am and 5:52am on the morning Jay disappeared, a message was sent from his phone saying: "Just took a £12k Rolly off some **** off to get 10 quid for it now."

The inquest heard Jay sent a message to witness Josh Forshaw where he said: "Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [expensive watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it."

The new documentary is set to detail his family's hunt for answers and is the first time they have spoken publicly about the tragic case. Channel 4 's new film The Disappearance of Jay Slater will air next weekend.

The Disappearance of Jay Slater documentary features never-before-seen CCTV footage, unheard audio recordings, the discovery of unsent messages, and exclusive access to the Slater family as they desperately seek answers about Jay's fate.

A coroner's report in July revealed that Jay had told his mates he was "in the middle of the mountains" and needed a drink, as he embarked on a 14-hour trek home the morning after a night of drug and alcohol consumption.

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