Missing X-Factor star Levi Davis feared to have drowned in sea off Barcelona as detectives make crucial breakthrough
19 April 2023, 18:54 | Updated: 19 April 2023, 19:06
The family of missing X Factor and rugby star Levi Davis fear he has drowned in the sea near Barcelona.
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Police have told his heartbroken mother Julie Davis they think a report of a man drowning near the city's port was him.
The former Bath rugby player disappeared on October 30.
Spanish officers have spoken to crew members of a cruise liner that arrived in Barcelona early on that day, and they said they saw a man in the water who wore a similar shirt to Levi.
He spoke English and asked for help, the four workers told investigators, and they threw a life jacket to him.
Search and rescue deployed but they could not find the man, who is now thought to have been Levi.
Detectives have also told his relatives they found his phone signal was last detected in the port early on that day.
His mother Julie said in a statement: "The investigation is still very much ongoing and we are hoping that the port police will authorise 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 [Catalonian police] and the British consulate in Barcelona for their continued hard work.
Read more: Devastated family offers £10,000 reward in search for missing rugby player Levi Davis
"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."
Levi was last seen leaving the Old Irish Pub and later the Hard Rock Café Pub on the night of October 29.
He walked down La Rambla and is now thought to have headed to the port.
The former X Factor: Celebrity contestant, who appeared alongside fellow rugby players Thom Evans and Ben Foden in 2019, had been holidaying in Ibiza before taking a ferry to Barcelona by himself.
He recorded a video message to his mother while making the trip, just hours before he vanished.
Friends and family were left shocked by his disappearance and were unable to figure out what could have happened.
