TV detective claims he knows the real reason why Jay Slater left Airbnb for ill-feted final journey

15 October 2024, 11:28

A TV detective has claimed he knows the real reason why tragic teenager Jay Slater left an Airbnb in the early hours of the morning before his death.

Former police office turned TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas claims an answer on how Jay came to be lost in the mountainous Tenerife area could be revealed soon.

He flew out to Tenerife to meet the 19-year-old's family after Jay vanished in June and promised to get "answers".

The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, vanished on a three-day holiday for a music festival with friends. His body was found after a month-long search just a few metres from his last known location.

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Williams-Thomas now claims to know the answer to two mysteries surrounding Jay: why he left the Airbnb and why he didn't return.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, he said: "Maybe, when the time is right, I will reveal those.

"I've got to be very careful. What I don't want to do is upset the family with any more trauma than they have already had and so it would be something I would work very closely with Debbie and the family on to reveal that information."

The former policeman, who is best known for presenting a documentary which exposed Jimmy Savile did not provide evidence but claimed he was working "closely with the family".

Williams-Thomas has also made a surprise U-turn and revealed that information that came to him early in the investigation was not accurate.Through mobile records and speaking to witnesses, Williams-Thomas said there were "considerable issues that existed" in the search.

In a video on social media, he said: "There's a huge amount of misinformation. When I went out there, I took a lot of videos.

"Some of the information which came to me in the early days wasn't accurate, wasn't correct and I needed to validate it."

He went on to say he'd had a "long conversation" with Jay's mother Debbie and they get on "very well".

He added: "This is a mother who lost her child. This case hit headlines worldwide and took on a life of its own. People became fascinated and as a result of that there were lots of conspiracy theories.

"I was very clear from Day One this looked like a tragic accident. There were considerable issues - I haven't revealed the details of these issues - exactly why Jay left in the manner he did. Why didn't he return?

"These things I've kept to myself at this moment in time. Maybe, when the time is right, I will reveal those.

"I've got to be very careful. What I don't want to do is upset the family with any more trauma than they have already had and so it would be something I would work very closely with Debbie and the family on to reveal that information."

The search for Jay made headlines worldwide after sleuths online tried to piece the Lancashire teen's last moments together.

After 29 days, Jay's body was found on July 15 deep in a ravine close to where his phone last pinged a phone tower.