No new leads in X Factor star's disappearance case two years on

Levi Davis was last seen in Barcelona two years ago (Image: Twitter@https://twitter.com/BBCNewsbeat)

The case of missing person Levi Davis, former X Factor contestant and rugby star, remains unsolved two years after his disappearance in Spain.

The court's investigation into the puzzling case hit a standstill last year following an extensive search by police divers in Barcelona's port. This was triggered by concerns that Levi was the individual seen struggling in the water by a passenger cruise liner's crew.

Court officials confirmed today that their investigation is still on hold and will only resume if new evidence emerges.

Police stated they have no plans to utilise the significant anniversary of the Brit's disappearance as an opportunity to publicly appeal for information, as they have "nothing new to offer."

The last verified sighting of Levi was him exiting an Irish pub in Barcelona on the evening of October 29, 2022. He had travelled from Ibiza by boat with just £35 in his pocket and no spare clothes, reports the Mirror.

Levi is a former X Factor contestant and rugby player (Image: GETTY)

Searches in the port and the Llobregat Delta, a key wetland area near Barcelona where police believed sea currents could have carried his body or clothing, have so far been fruitless.

In a dramatic twist, it was reported that four passengers aboard the MSC Bellissima cruise liner, which reached Barcelona about eight hours following the pub CCTV sighting of Levi, claimed to have seen a man in the sea donning a light-coloured top, akin to the one Levi wore, frantically calling for aid in English. Swiftly reacting to the emergency, a lifebuoy was launched toward the individual, triggering the deployment of coastguard units including Helimer 203 helicopter and Salvamar Mintaka boat.

Although additional firefighter boats and Red Cross vessels were dispatched to the site, all were subsequently called off after confirmation that no individuals from the cruise ship were missing, and no absence reports were registered within the ports waters or off the coast of Barcelona.

Last night, a representative for the judicial investigator overseeing the case indicated a lack of progress: "There are no updates in this case. It's still provisionally archived."

Meanwhile, the Mossos dEsquadra, Catalonias police force who received Levi's missing report, declared: "Our investigation remains open but we have nothing new we can tell you about."

Police say the case is 'provisionally archived' (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

Coinciding with Levi's disappearance's second anniversary, it was affirmed that no new public appeals for information are on the horizon. According to a reliable police source: "No-one is actively working on this case police-wise or in the courts on a day-to-day basis. That doesn't mean police won't look into any new information that comes their way. But the last big push was 17 months ago with the port searches."

An insider claimed: "The lead theory is that Levi drowned but proving that now is virtually mission impossible."

In a push for answers, it's understood Levi's family considered taking part in a television documentary about his vanishing earlier this year. Sources suggest discussions were underway to bring the mystery into the spotlight.

Back in May, a person close to Levi's mother, Julie, reportedly confirmed to a production company the interests in participating, stating: "We are waiting for the opportunity that affords the best chance of finding out what happened."

Dramatic CCTV footage mapped Levi's last known movements as he left the Old Irish Pub close to Barcelona's bustling La Rambla on the night of October 29, 2022, following a journey from Ibiza where he had been residing with companions. Detectives later divulged to the family that Levi's mobile phone, which has remained inactive since the peculiar event, broadcast its final signal in the early morning of October 30.

The signal ping emanated from a tower positioned at the port's edge, ominously near the sea's mouth.

Contrary to initial beliefs positioning his phone near Sants stationone of the city's transport arteriesnew findings point to a more coastal connection. Catalan police proactively initiated a search mission on November 8, 2022, without even waiting for the formalities of a missing persons report, which came through from an Ibiza acquaintance four days thereafter.

Levi's perplexing case was initially handled by officers at the Barcelona police division where the matter was first recorded.

The case took a dramatic turn when it was transferred to a specialist investigative unit in Barcelona, which initiated underwater searches by police divers in May last year, keeping the investigating judge apprised of its actions and findings. Early reports suggested that the missing individual owed a staggering £100,000 to Somali criminals, and Levi disclosed in a haunting final videorecorded just before his disappearancethat he had been blackmailed over a sex tape and feared for his life.

Police have now revealed they have no new leads in the search for the missing X Factor star (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)

Gavin Burrows, a private detective who initially worked with the family before their partnership ended, later alleged that Spanish authorities would have sufficient grounds for an arrest after he provided them with a "damning expose" that purportedly included proof of blackmail and threats linked to a debt owed to the Somali mafia. Despite these claims, no arrests have been made.

Levi's career saw him playing Premiership rugby union for Bath from 2017 to 2020, after which he moved to Ealing Trailfinders, and subsequently signed with Worthing Raiders a year later. The sportsman also ventured into entertainment, appearing on X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 as part of the trio Try Star, alongside fellow rugby players Ben Foden and Thom Evans.

In 2020, he made waves as the first rugby union player to come out as bisexual on E4's Celebs Go Virtual Dating. Battling depression, Levi took a hiatus in Europe due to a knee injury that paused his rugby career, then mysteriously disappeared.

Richard Squire, a companion who officially reported him missing to the Barcelona police after receiving word from the athlete's family in the West Midlands, characterised his departure from Ibiza as "sudden."