Levi Davis: Missing rugby player case probed by Barcelona crime unit

Rugby player Levi Davis's disappearance is being examined by Spanish detectives to establish whether a crime has been committed, the BBC has been told.

It is four months since the 24-year-old was last seen in Barcelona.

Levi officially remains a missing person, but a spokesman said the case had been handed to a specialist crime unit for further investigation.

Mossos d'Esquadra - Catalan Police - said there were "disturbing" issues with "no logical explanation".

A spokesman told the BBC the force could not give more details as Spanish law prevents it handing out detailed information on open cases.

There have been few official updates on Levi's case since his disappearance.

'Gone where?'

Friend Richard Squire has been leading an appeal to locate him, which he describes as an "emotional rollercoaster".

"I'm dealing with people that I've never met before," he says.

"You don't know what information is right, what information is wrong. And it's just incredibly upsetting.

"Even though it's four months it still feels like the first day every day. And it's difficult, it's hard."

• Listen: The search for Levi Davis

Levi, who had played rugby for Bath and Worthing, was spending time on his music career at the time of his disappearance.

He'd signed a record deal after an appearance on Celebrity X-Factor in 2019, and released his first track last September.

With his second single due to release in November, Levi had gone to stay with Richard in Ibiza, and worked on songs while he was there.

He arrived on the island on 17 October, before heading by boat to Barcelona on 29 October.

Levi was last seen leaving the Old Irish Pub in the centre of Barcelona

Richard says he dropped Levi in Ibiza town the previous day, as he'd arranged to meet someone for dinner. That was the last time he saw him.

The next morning he messaged Levi to check he was okay, and he told him he'd left the island.

"I was obviously worried for him. I said: 'Gone where?' He said: 'Barcelona, going to see some mates'.

"So then I sent him a voice note saying: 'You're worrying me. Please tell me where you are'."

Levi said he would call when he arrived in Barcelona, but he never did.

After a few days Richard contacted Levi's family and other mutual friends, and the police launched an investigation on 8 November.

One of the last sightings of Levi - CCTV footage of him leaving the Old Irish Pub in the city centre - was just hours after he arrived into the city.

At a few minutes past midnight on 30 October he tried to call another friend before sending a WhatsApp voice note which has been shared with the BBC.

In the short message he says Barcelona is "absolutely beautiful".

"It's amazing. I'm literally just getting all my inspo. I love it. It's so good," he says.

It was the last known contact Levi had with any of his friends or family.

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

A lack of information has sparked online rumours and conspiracy theories about Levi's disappearance - something his family says has upset them.

Some of it has centred around a video of Levi, which he posted then deleted, on Instagram in the days before he went missing.

Levi's mum Julie Davis says the first time she knew it had been released publicly was when it appeared online, and she's "disgusted" by some of the rumours that have been circulating.

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"It's very hard to know or distinguish what's true from what isn't," she says.

For Julie, while Levi is still missing she watches videos from his social media, and hopes for good news soon.

"Even though Levi is not here, I'm forever watching TikTok videos and stuff, and it just makes me feel like 'oh, he's still here'.

"It just gives me comfort."

You can listen to the full episode of File on 4's 'Looking for Levi' on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday 28 February and then on BBC Sounds.

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