I’m haunted by the final videos of my son – I have never seen him in such a state, says Jay Slater’s mum Debbie
JAY Slater’s devastated mum has told how she is “haunted” by videos of her son raving the night before he vanished.
The clips, which she has seen since his tragic death, show Jay bare-chested on the dancefloor of the Papagayo nightclub, swaying around.
The 19-year-old went to Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas in Tenerife with friends for the final night of the NRG festival on June 16.
Clips were shared on social media after Jay disappeared showing him on the crowded dance floor, with music blaring in the background.
One video showed Jay walking through a sea of clubbers with sunglasses propped on his head.
In another, the teen could be seen with his shirt hanging around his neck, seemingly unsteady on his feet.
Heartbroken mum Debbie Duncan, 56, said the videos “absolutely haunt” her.
Devastated Debbie wept as she sat alongside older son Zak, 24, for her first interview since Jay’s body was discovered in a ravine in the Rural de Teno National Park on July 15.
The grim discovery brought to an end a gruelling 29-day search which drew worldwide attention and thrust Debbie into a storm that has seen her relentlessly trolled by sick ghouls.
She said he liked drinks including spiced rum and coke and Disaronno – and accepts he could have taken drugs.
Debbie told The Sun: “Obviously at these events, drugs are knocking around and lots of people are taking them.
“I don’t know whether he was taking drugs that night or not, but I’m not going to deny that people at these events take drugs and there are drugs at those kind of resorts.”
Debbie – who has considered whether Jay’s drinks had been spiked – added: “The videos I’ve seen absolutely haunt me, because I’ve never, ever seen him like that before.
“There’s a video of him, kind of staggering back and he has never been in that state.”
Jay was on holiday on the Spanish island with friends Lucy Mae Law and Bradley Hargreaves went he vanished on June 17.
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
- In her final call to Jay they said ‘I love you’
- 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
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs called Lucy, 18, at 8.50 am saying he had cut his leg, was lost and dehydrated – and had just 1 per cent battery on his phone.
His mobile last pinged in the Rural de Teno Park – after Jay started the treacherous 11-hour walk from the Airbnb in Masca back to his apartment 25 miles away in Los Cristianos.
Jay posted a Snapchat picture of himself smoking on the doorstep of the apartment at 7.30am and then walked the wrong way after apparently being told there was no bus to his hotel until 10am.
His body was found after an agonising four week search in a ravine Spanish police described as “inaccessible”.
But since Jay’s disappearance and even since his death, his family have been relentlessly terrorised by cowardly trolls.
Debbie wept as she revealed she had been sent thousands of messages, pictures and videos from sick ghouls.
She has now vowed to campaign for tougher laws on trolling and has reported some of the warped taunts to police.
Debbie said: “It was just disgusting, absolutely disgusting. I wouldn’t wish it upon anybody, the torment that I’ve had to go through, and that I’m still going through.”
And she admitted that she and her family were “sucked into” some conspiracy theories – as they desperately clung to the hope that Jay was alive.
In a heart-breaking admission, Debbie said: “I wanted to believe that he’d been chained up – because at least that way I knew that he would still be breathing somewhere.
“I wanted to believe he’d been kidnapped and he was being held, because I thought, well, that would mean he’s alive somewhere.
'My final call with Jay'
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.
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.
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 were the last things that we said to each other, thank God.
“I’m just glad that we spoke to each other that night.”
“You know, anything.
“As horrible as it was, I just thought, well, he might be breathing somewhere.
“We were sucked into it.”
Debbie blasted trolls who have targeted her family – saying they didn’t even know him.
She described him as a “loving and popular” teenager who “had the world at his feet”.
Debbie said: “Jay was just a lovely boy with a massive personality.
“Everybody just loved Jay being in his company – family, friends and work.
“He was loving and popular, always full of fun and smiling – and the main guy in the group.”
False accusations over GoFundMe
JAY’S family have been plagued by false accusations they have ‘stolen’ money from a GoFundMe appeal for him.
But it was set up by Jay’s friend, Lucy – and Debbie did not know anything about it until the fund was already established.
And she has been in regular contact with a liaison officer at GoFundMe to outline what money has been used for.
Debbie – whose family turned to search teams in their desperation including private Dutch firm Signi Zoekhonden – had not heard of GoFundMe before the page was set up.
She said: “I did not know anything about GoFundMe and did not know what it was.
“We were only told about it by Lucy when we were at the police station.
“We have had all these people slagging me off about a GoFundMe that I didn’t ask for.
“I said, so I don’t want to use it and didn’t want to touch it.
“The only things it’s been used for are some accommodation costs, the dog team that came over – and some repatriation costs which are still ongoing.
“I have been speaking to GoFundMe me virtually every day and they have been amazing and so supportive.
“They know the money has not been misused – and have been telling me I don’t have to explain what every last penny has been used for.”