Levi Davis: Missing rugby player’s mum shares update after hiring private detective
Levi Davis has been missing since October 2022 (Getty Images)
The search for Levi Davis remains ongoing after it was reported that the bisexual rugby player had gone missing in Barcelona, Spain in October 2022.
Levi’s mother, Julie Davis, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (25 January) to provide the public with updates on the case, explaining that the family had hired a private investigator to look into his disappearance.
She broke down in a heartbreaking moment on the show, in which she described progress on the search in Spain as “very slow”.
Julie Davis added that “mother’s instinct” led her to believe that something was wrong with 24-year-old Levi when she last spoke to him.
“That’s mother’s instinct. Just before he left there was a message that said to me… give him a hug because you just don’t know if this is going to be your last,” she told the GMB hosts.
Host Susanna Reid then walked off the show with Julie Davis to console her as she broke down in tears.
“It’s been very difficult,” she added. “I’ve been trying to take one day at a time.”
Levi Davis’ family has since hired a private investigator to look into his disappearance, however very little information has been uncovered.
“Up until this point there has been a little new information, a few tip-offs, alleged sightings of Levi, but nothing really substantial for police to move this investigation forward,” GMB correspondent Nick Dixon said on Wednesday.
Dixon added that the private investigator had uncovered claims that a man had been seen “in distress” in the water the night that Levi Davis had gone missing, with investigators now fearing that the rugby player may have drowned.
A search for the man in the water took place, but a body was not found. Davis’ passport, however, was found in the area.
Here’s everything you need to know about Levi Davis and the search to find him that began on 29 October 2022.
Who is Levi Davis?
Levi Davis is a professional rugby union player and former X Factor: Celebrity contestant, who made headlines as the first person playing rugby union professionally in the UK to come out as bisexual while still playing the sport.
The sportsman was playing for the Worthing Raiders team at the time of his disappearance, and had previously played for Bath and Ealing Trailfinders.
When did the rugby player come out as bisexual?
Davis became the first professional rugby union player to come out as LGBTQ+ in September 2020, saying he had overcome a “sense of shame” to come out to his teammates as bisexual.
“I had hidden it well but I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer… I had to tell them, all of them, not just a few. I didn’t want it to turn into Chinese whispers,” he said at the time.
He added his teammates had playfully teased him after he opened up about his sexuality.
“Then they began taking the p**s in a good-natured way, which I was relieved about,” he added.
“If they had been too tender-hearted, I would have been worried. I’m still a rugby player, after all!”
In an interview with PinkNews he said he hadn’t planned on coming out when he did, but that his team was “massively proud” of him for doing so.
“Rugby has been painted as a man’s sport, but that’s just the tradition of it – it’s changing, the face of it is changing,” he said.
“I can only say what I know, and my experience of coming out was only positive… Rugby is absolutely ready to welcome anyone from the LGBTQ+ community.”
When did Levi Davis go missing?
Levi Davis was last seen at The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona on 29 October 2022. His passport was later discovered at Barcelona’s port, with reportedly little other information found.
His mother Julie has made several desperate pleas during television appearances for Davis to come home, explaining that he had been struggling with his mental health in recent months.
“Levi, please son, if you see this message please, please get in touch,” she previously said on Good Morning Britain.
“I can’t begin to understand how you’re feeling, but just know that I do love you, and our family loves you, we just want you home.”
His mother told The Sun in November that the former Bath and England player had been “quite down”, and left to go to Barcelona suddenly, without taking his medication with him.
Julie told the newspaper: “Levi has been quite down lately and the manner in which he has disappeared has left us all very worried.
“He left everything behind in Ibiza and just upped and left… He told me he wanted some space to clear his mind and left behind medication he was taking.”
His family have shared an email address for those who may have information about Davis’ whereabouts: [email protected]
