Jay Slater’s Mum Opens the Bag He Was Carrying When He Died

A new Channel 4 documentary has offered a deeply personal look at Jay Slater’s final hours, including the moment his mother, Debbie Duncan, opens the bag recovered with her son’s body.

Jay, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared in Tenerife in June 2024 while on holiday. After a major search operation, his body was found near the isolated village of Masca on July 15.

More than a year later, Debbie is still struggling to confront the belongings he left behind.

‘I still smell his smell’

In one of the documentary’s most poignant scenes, Debbie sits inside Jay’s bedroom and talks about the suitcase he took with him to Tenerife.

“It’s been a year and I still can’t bring myself to unpack his case. I still smell his smell,” she says.

Looking toward Jay’s dog, she adds: “You know, don’t you? You wonder where he is still when you come in here, don’t you?”

The scene captures how difficult it remains for Debbie to handle the possessions connected to her son’s final trip.

She then shows viewers a black zip-up bag that Jay was carrying when he was found.

“This is the bag Jay had with him when he was found. We got handed this from the Guardia Civil, it’s got his things in it,” she explains.

What was inside Jay’s bag?

Debbie carefully goes through the contents of the bag, revealing some of the personal items Jay still had with him when he died.

Among them were his driving licence, a bottle of aftershave and his lighters.

Debbie also makes clear what was not inside the bag.

“There were no knives in his bag, there was no drugs in his bag, there were no expensive watches in his bag,” she says. “No AP watch, no Rolex watch. That’s it.”

Jay also had his mobile phone, which contained the final calls and messages he exchanged with friends before his death.

One of those calls was to his best friend Lucy Law, during which Jay expressed fears that he “might die.”

The final night captured on CCTV

The documentary also examines CCTV footage showing Jay during the final hours of his life, alongside the messages he sent to his friends.

At 11.55pm, Jay was seen at Papagayo Nightclub. CCTV later captured him leaving the venue at 1.04am.

Just eight minutes later, at 1.12am, Jay was refused entry when he attempted to return to the nightclub. Footage shows him standing at the entrance while a bouncer appears to point toward something in the distance.

At 2.40am, Jay sent a message to his friends explaining that he could not get back into Papagayo.

“Can’t get in Papagayo they got marker on me,” he wrote.

Lucy responded at 2.48am, offering to come and collect him if he returned home.

“I’ve just said I’ll come out and get you if you come home,” she told him.

A minute later, Jay replied: “Doesn’t matter it’s OK. I on a mission.”

Jay’s final journey

According to a coroner’s report released in July, Jay later told friends that he was “in the middle of the mountains” and needed a drink.

The report stated that he subsequently attempted a 14-hour walk home the morning after consuming drugs and alcohol during his night out.

Jay was eventually found dead near Masca following the extensive search for him.

For Debbie, however, the documentary is not simply about reconstructing what happened. Opening the bag Jay carried when he died and confronting the suitcase he never brought home offer painful reminders of the son whose belongings have remained untouched for more than a year.