Levi Davis: Missing rugby star's family frustrated by search

The mum of a British rugby player who disappeared in Barcelona says the weeks since have been "an emotional whirlwind".

Levi Davis has been missing in Spain for over a month, and mum Julie says the investigation has been "very slow".

The 24-year-old Worthing Raiders winger travelled by boat from Ibiza, where he visited a friend, on 29 October.

He was last seen on CCTV leaving the Old Irish Pub in the centre of Barcelona at about 22:00.

The rugby union player has not been seen or heard from since.

'The scariest time'

Julie, from Solihull in the West Midlands, last had contact with her son a few hours before he went missing.

He sent her a video taken on board his boat from Ibiza, showing the view from the deck and telling her: "It's beautiful here".

Since the end of October there have been a few possible sightings of Levi - but none have been confirmed as him.

Then, almost two weeks ago, his passport was discovered at Barcelona's port area.

Spanish police have confirmed this to the BBC, but say they can't comment on the investigation any further at this stage.

Julie says she's frustrated by the lack of information on her son's whereabouts

Julie wants more detail.

"Since the last thing we heard about the passport, there's been no more information," she says.

The last few weeks have been "the scariest time" of her life and "an emotional whirlwind".

She travelled to Barcelona with her son Nathan a few weeks ago to search for Levi herself, and is planning to go back again soon.

At the scene

Rachel Stonehouse, BBC Newsbeat reporter in Barcelona

The Irish Pub where Levi was last seen is on La Rambla - a touristy part of the city.

It's quiet when I go in at lunch time, but the staff tell me it gets busy on an evening - they're showing a lot of World Cup games at the moment.

The barmaid who served him isn't working, but other staff tell me Levi ordered a pint and watched sport on the TV before leaving.

I ask lots of people on the street if they've heard about Levi - many of them have, but they don't know more than he's missing.

Just a short distance from the bar - maybe a five to 10-minute walk - is the port.

It's busy, with a constant stream of ferries coming and going.

This is where Levi arrived into the city, and where his passport was discovered a couple of weeks ago.

But since then the trail has gone cold.

Mental health struggles

Julie says Levi was very open about his mental health, and in the last few months he'd been dealing with a knee injury.

She thinks he needed some time to himself - as "the accumulation of all the struggles and the injury" had taken a toll mentally.

According to his friend Tom Varndell, Levi had been trying to "deal with things a bit more on his own" in recent months.

"Rather than going out there and trying to seek help - or ask people for support," the former England rugby player adds.

Julie says Levi's family are waiting for him: "No matter what the problem is please don't think it can't be solved - it can"

When Levi's passport was found, Tom says his hopes were dashed a little bit.

But both Julie and Tom still believe there will be good news in the future.

And Julie has this message for Levi: "We're all missing you, all the family care for you so much. We just want you home, son.

"Please come home and we can sort out whatever is going on, together."

Levi previously played for Bath Rugby, which shared the appeal over his disappearance a month ago.

He's also known for his TV appearances in ITV's Celebrity X Factor in 2019 and E4's Celebs Go Dating in 2020.

Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.