Jay Slater’s agonising final phonecall to mum Debbie before last fateful night out in Tenerife
TRAGIC Jay Slater’s final words to his mum just hours before he vanished were: “I love you mother”.
Heartbroken Debbie Duncan said she spoke to her beloved son on the phone just before his fateful night out in Tenerife.
Grieving Debbie, 56, wept as she told The Sun of the “special bond” she shared with Jay in her first interview since his body was tragically found on July 15.
She told how she had encouraged Jay, 19, to go on his dream holiday.
Debbie paid for his room at the Paloma Beach apartments in Los Cristianos, where he and friend Bradley Hargreaves planned to stay for four days after the NRG festival ended.
She said Jay called her from his room hours before he went out on June 16 – the night before he vanished.
Debbie told The Sun: “I’d spoken to him earlier on.
“They’d just been chilling at their apartment and Jay had said he’d burnt his shoulder.
“I’d packed him off with some Aloe Vera and said make sure you put that on and said what you’re doing.
“He said he was not going mad and was going to have a few drinks.
“He used to call me mother, and said ‘I love you mother’.
“I used to say I love you my boy. That was the last things that we said to each other, thank God.
“I’m just glad that we spoke to each other that night.”
Distraught Debbie then received a phone call from Jay’s friend Lucy Mae Law, 18, on the afternoon of June 17, telling her that he had gone missing.
Jay’s dad Warren Slater, 58 – who later joined the desperate search – drove Debbie and Zak, 24, to Manchester Airport and they jetted to Tenerife.
Tragically, 29 days after Jay disappeared his body was found in a ravine in the north west on the island.
Debbie opened up to us about Jay’s devotion to his family and friends, describing him as a “popular and loving” lad.
In her first interview since Jay’s death, Debbie told The Sun…
- How vicious trolls have ‘destroyed’ her with thousands of calls and messages
- She received a vile letter from a troll just days after her Jay’s funeral
- Her torment over a GoFundMe page she didn’t ask for
- How Jay really got caught up in ‘gang attack’ that landed him with conviction
- She ‘just screamed’ when cops found her son’s body
- She denies rumours Jay stole £12k watch & fell foul of Tenerife drug cartel
- Jay was ‘popular lad’ who didn’t deserve trolls’ abuse
- Her family went sent vile fake images of ‘kidnapped’ Jay
The grieving mum blasted trolls who didn’t even know her beloved son but had posted cruel comments on social media.
Debbie told how Jay – who grew up loving football – who “always full of fun and smiling”.
She and Jay’s older brother Zak, 24 – who sat down with Debbie during the interview – said they took comfort in the hundreds of people who gathered for his funeral on August 10.
Debbie added: “He deserved every bit of what he had at his funeral, with people paying tribute – and none of the abuse he has had.
“I am still trying to process everything, really, and it’s hard to explain how I feel.
“Jay was 19 with the world at his feet.
“He was coming back to a good job and was about to take his driving test.
“He was a normal lad.”
The anguish of Debbie and Zak – and Jay’s dad, Warren Slater, 58 – has been heightened by vicious attacks by trolls and online smears.
After apprentice bricklayer Jay went missing on June 17, wild online stories swirled including that he had stolen a £12,000 watch from a gangster or fallen foul of a drug cartel in Tenerife.
But Debbie said the claims are nothing more than callous rumours.
Debbie also revealed she had been sent thousands of messages, pictures and videos – including disgusting mock-ups of her son being tortured.
The mum has reported some messages to police – and has vowed to campaign for tougher laws on trolling.
Debbie added: “I don’t even have the words to describe how sick these individuals are.
“I have been terrorised by trolls.
“I have tried to block it out but you can’t
“However, if I had paid attention to all of them I’d be in a padded cell.”