Levi Davis: Family distraught as cops fear Missing 'X Factor' star may have drowned in Barcelona port
BARCELONA, SPAIN: Missing 'X Factor' contestant Levi Davis is believed to have drowned at a port in Barcelona, authorities informed his devastated family. His distraught mother Julie Davis told police that they now think a man, who was reported drowning at the major port, was regrettably her son.
It seemed like the gifted rugby player had a bright future when he vanished nearly six months ago in Barcelona on October 29, 2022. The sportsman, who was born in Birmingham, had gone missing, and police kept quiet about it, leaving his family scrambling for information.
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What happened to Levi Davis?
A number of theories have been proposed in response to the mysterious case, including the possibility that Levi drowned near a Barcelona port or even "voluntarily" disappeared. The wildest idea holds that he is being pursued by a Somalian gang for a £100,000 ($1,24,295) debt. But investigators are now persuading that Levi drowned at the port after going to The Old Irish Pub and the Hard Rock Cafe on the fateful night a year ago.
The day after Levi vanished, four crew members of a cruise ship that was docked around 6.30 am claimed the man in distress was wearing the same light-colored shirt as Levi. They asserted that the man repeatedly yelled for help in English. A lifebuoy was unsuccessfully thrown at him, but search efforts by the police and coastguard were later discontinued as workers were unable to locate a body, as reported by The Sun.
'Missed chance'
The incident was referred to as a "missed chance" to save Levi because his disappearance had not been reported to authorities at the time. Twenty days after the athlete disappeared at the dock in Barcelona, the only thing ever discovered linking him to the case was his passport. Detectives claim that within hours of the sighting in the water, Levi's cellphone, which hadn't been used since his disappearance, last ping-ed near the port. The signal was picked up near the main Sants rail station, implying that the professional rugby player went there after leaving the boozers on La Rambla.
However, in a shocking turn of events, a friend said a text message they had written to the 'X Factor' alumni was read on December 15. And bizarrely, when Levi vanished, it was discovered that up to 38 of his Instagram contacts had been inexplicably removed. A specialized crime team was given the baffling case that has cast a shadow over the popular Spanish vacation resort in February. His family has now stated that the investigation's most recent development is that it's feared the 25-year-old died tragically at the dock.
What did Levi's mother say about the case's progress?
On Monday, Levi's mom Julie and close friend Richard Squire met with police to talk about the case's progress. She informed MailOnline in a statement that his loved ones were still hoping for the missing celebrity to return home safely. They are hoping that a court will permit another search of the harbor to end their dreadful suffering.
"Extensive work has been done to track Levi's movements on the night of the 29 Oct and 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," said Julie, adding, "His phone last registered in the early hours of Saturday 30 October with a phone tower at the far end of the port closest to the sea entrance."
She further said, "The investigation is still very much ongoing and we are hoping that the Port Police will authorize and carry out a further search of the waters and other inaccessible areas of the port. We would like to thank the Mosso d'esquadra and the British Consulate in Barcelona for their continued hard work."
"No further comment will be made at this time. We continue to ask that the press respect the feelings and privacy of Levi's family and friends at what is a very emotionally distressing time," she continued.
What did Catalan police say about drowning theory?
Catalan police stressed that Levi's potential drowning was "only one line of inquiry" in their initial remarks following the latest news. A rep for the force said on Wednesday night, "The hypothesis he has drowned is one of the lines of inquiry. But other lines of inquiry remain open and haven’t been ruled out. We remain in contact with the missing man’s family and are keeping them informed about the evolution of the ongoing inquiry."
A missing-persons expert claimed last month that Levi's disappearance in Spain was "more complicated," in part because of a lack of information-sharing between UK and EU police authorities following Brexit. An expert criminal investigation unit in Spain was investigating the case of the former rugby star and 'X Factor' star, as per Mirror.