Jay Slater inquest HALTED after shock development as witness makes contactAn inquest is being heard into the death of Jay Slater, 19, who was found dead in the Juan Lopez ravine in Tenerife

on July 15 last year following a four-week searchNewsLiam Buckler Senior News Reporter, Stephen Topping and Amy Fenton13:30, 21 May 2025Updated 14:08, 21 May 2025Jay Slater with friend Lucy

Law(Image: Instagram) The inquest into the death of Jay Slater was abruptly halted after contact was finally made with a key witness. The hearing at Preston Coroner's Court is investigating

the circumstances surrounding the 19-year-old bricklayer'S death in Tenerife on July 15 last year, following a month-long search for him.

proceedings. Alice Swarbrick, a coroner's officer, stated that police had tried to serve a witness summons on Lucy Law, a friend who was with Jay in Tenerife, but she couldn't be found.

‌READ MORE: Jay Slater UPDATES: Inquest names Tenerife friends who now 'can't be found'Ayub Qassim invited jay back to his rented holiday cottage and is due to attend the hearing(Image:

Handout) It is believed that Lucy is currently in Tenerife. Brad Hargreaves, another friend who was with Jay in Tenerife last June, is thought to be on a holiday booked last October, added

Ms Swarbrick.

Neither could be found by police prior to today's hearing, according to senior coroner Dr James Adeley, reports the Manchester Evening News.

‌ A third key witness - Ayub Qassim, who rented out the Airbnb in Masca where Jay stayed after the festival - is listed to appear.

Despite efforts by the Metropolitan Police to find him, officers were unsuccessful, the inquest heard. However, just after noon, the coroner paused the proceedings briefly as it was reported

that one of the three absent witnesses had been contacted.

Lucy and Brad previously spoke of how they chatted with Jay as he attempted to walk back to their accommodation from the remote Airbnb, a journey that would have taken him 11 hours on foot.

Tragically, he never made it.

‌Brad Hargreaves, 19, was partying with Jay the night before he vanished(Image: ITV) At 8:15 a.m., Lucy received a phone call from Jay, who told her he was in "the middle of nowhere" and

dehydrated, with just one per cent of his phone battery remaining. After missing his bus, the apprentice bricklayer explained to Lucy that he was attempting to make his way back using a Maps

app. It was then that the call cut out suddenly, with his battery depleting completely at 8:50 a.m.

Lucy told the Manchester Evening News: "He's gone on a night out, he's gone to a friend's house, someone that he has met on holiday. One of the people he has met has hired a car out of here,

so he's driven them back to his apartment, and Jay has gone there, not realising how far away it is.

Article continues below "In the morning, he's set off walking, using his Maps on his phone and ended up in the middle of mountains with nothing around." Lucy later told Sky News that Jay had

'cut his leg on a cactus' as he attempted to walk along a remote path.

Appearing on This Morning on June 28, just two days before Spanish police called off the official search, Brad opened up about his own final conversation with Jay, who'd promised to video

call him back after hanging up, as "someone else was ringing him".

Showing emotion as he recalled Jay's "zest for life", Brad shared that Jay hadn't initially been worried about finding his way back to his friends. He revealed that he could hear Jay's feet

sliding on the rocks indicating that he had "went off the road". He explained: "That's how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you

can... you know what I mean, stones."