Missing 'X-Factor' Star's Case Takes Possibly Fatal Turn

01/26/2023 09:17 am EST

Missing X-Factor star Levi Davis is feared dead after he went missing in Barcelona in October. New information into the star's disappearance suggests that Davis may have been targeted over a £100,000 (about $124,000) debt he owed to the Somali mafia, with British investigator Gavin Burrows, who has been hired by Davis' family to look into his disappearance, reportedly believing that Davis may have drowned in Barcelona's port.

The remarks were made by an unnamed member of the team of private detectives, who told La Vanguardia newspaper that Davis "came to Barcelona fleeing from these criminals." The source said the star "adopted a frenzied lifestyle and was in a very delicate situation" before he was last seen leaving an Irish pub in Barcelona on Oct. 29. According to the team member, Davis, a 24-year-old former professional rugby player, was around £100,000 in debt to the Somali mafia and "was sure they were chasing him. In fact he was convinced they had tried to poison him on one occasion."

The Somali mafia debt claims surfaced in Spain just as it was reported that Davis' family were pressing Spanish police to investigate a possible drowning in Barcelona's port. The 24-year-old's passport was found nearby, and fears have grown that he may have been lured into a trap after arranging to meet someone he had met on social media. According to the Daily Mail, Burrows recently told Good Morning Britain that he feared Davis may have drowned in Barcelona's port. GMB reporter Nick Dixon noted that "a man was in the water in distress in the port area close to a nearby cruise ship," and while a search was carried out to locate the distressed man, "no body was found and everyone was accounted for, at least on the cruise ship." However, it was "some time later that the police realized Levi's passport was found in that same area."

Davis was reportedly taking a break in Europe after being sidelined from rugby following a knee injury. He was last seen leaving the Old Irish Pub near Barcelona's La Rambla at around 10 p.m. on Oct. 29, just a few hours after he took a boat from Ibiza with just £35 and no change of clothes. Security footage showed Davis walking a short distance north on La Rambla to the Hard Rock Café while carrying a small black rucksack. He hasn't been seen since. He was reported missing to West Midlands Police shortly after he vanished. According to police, Davis has not used his phone or either of his two bank accounts in the time since he has been missing, and there have been no credible sightings. His family has since created a GoFundMe to appeal for donations to help continue the search.

Burrows previously said his team has "received several anonymous pieces of information that point to the fact that Levi's disappearance is not voluntary," adding that "there are definitely people in both London and Barcelona who know what's happened to him and we are following the leads we have been given." Davis, who played Premiership rugby union for Bath between 2017 and 2020, starred on Celebrity X Factor in 2019 and also appeared on E4's Celebs Go Dating in 2020.

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