The “disturbing” case of missing rugby star Levi Davis has been taken over by a Spanish crime unit four months after he was last seen.
Catalan Police known as Mossos d’Esquadra said the case contains “disturbing” issues with “no logical explanation”.
A spokesman for the force told the BBC that Spanish law prevents the force from handing out detailed information on open cases.
One of the last sightings of Mr Davis - CCTV footage of him leaving the Old Irish Pub in the city centre - was just hours after he arrived to the city.
His final WhatsApp voice note has been shared with the BBC in which he describes Barcelona as “absolutely beautiful”.
“It’s amazing. I’m literally just getting all my inspo. I love it. It’s so good,” he said in his last known contact with friends.
It comes after a video re-emerged of Mr Davis claiming he was being blackmailed by criminals who threatened to kill him and his family over an alleged £100,000 debt.
The 24-year-old initially deleted the footage after posting it on Instagram but it has re-emerged three months after the rugby player vanished in Barcelona, according to reports.
The video begins with him saying: “My name is Levi Davis and my life is in danger. I beg that you listen and try to understand what I’m telling you.”
In the footage, he alleges he was being blackmailed by criminals who threatened him and his family.
He said the blackmail started after he had been on X Factor in 2019.
The missing rugby player said he “went to the police and I asked them if they could help me” because “something was happening to me and it wasn’t something good”.
“You may ask ‘why wouldn’t you just stay away from individuals which wish you harm’,”.
“And that’s what I tried to do by starting a new life in Australia. But what happened is that I was followed there also.”
Spanish police were asked to look into a possible drowning in Barcelona’s port hours after Mr Davis was last seen.
Local authorities later confirmed that his passport was found in the same area after a man was seen in distress in the water.
Mr Davis played Premiership rugby for Bath between 2017 and 2020 and starred on Celebrity X Factor in 2019 alongside Ben Foden and Thom Evans. He was also on E4’s Celebs Go Dating in 2020.
A £10,000 reward has also been offered to help find the missing 24-year-old.
