A missing X Factor star and rugby player might have drowned off the coast of Barcelona, his family has claimed in a statement. Levi Davis, 24, was last seen in October 2022, when the former Bath player left the UK for Ibiza after suffering an injury.
As reported by the Mirror, he suddenly left the friend he was staying with and took a boat from the party island to Barcelona without clothes or cash and has not been seen since. His mum, Julie, said that local police have told her they believe a man who drowned close to the city’s port was Levi.
Close to where the man drowned, Levi's mobile phone was last pinged. Julie said she had met with police and one of Levi’s friends in a statement.
She said: “Extensive work has been done to track Levi's movements on the night of October 19 and [the police] are able to confirm that following his last reported sighting at the Hard Rock Café, Levi walked back down La Rambla and entered the commercial port.
“Reports of a man in the water by staff on a cruise ship entering the port at 6.30am on 30 October have been investigated. Four members of staff confirmed seeing a man in the water with specific details, including him asking for help in English and the colour of his clothing. 'A life jacket was thrown from the ship and emergency Sea and Air rescue services searched the area but they were unable to find him.”
The family was hoping Port Police would authorise a search of the nearby waters, she added. Levi’s family had hired a private investigator, Gavin Burrows. He tweeted he believed Levi was being blackmailed and that it had started shortly after his X Factor appearance.
Burrows speculated that Levi might have drowned after his passport was also found by the port in Barcelona. A missing persons expert said Levi's disappearance in Spain was "more complicated" last month.
This was in part due to diminished information-sharing between UK and European police forces after Brexit. The case of the former rugby star and X Factor Celebrity star was being looked into by a specialist criminal investigation unit in Spain.
Charlie Hedges, who set up a police expert network for missing people across Europe and was formerly of the National Crime Agency, said complications were “amplified” with international cases.
Mr Hedges said additional challenges included language barriers and different judicial systems, as well as European countries having a different style of police operation.
Mr Hedges told the BBC's File on 4: "The primary responsibility for Levi’s disappearance sat with the Spanish police, as this was where he went missing."
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