Luis Piovesana: Man whose body found in Bristol river left partner voicemail before disappearance

Luis Piovesana, 26, was last seen at 2.55am on Friday, (February 28), after a night out with friends at The Jam Jar in Little Ann Street, St Jude’s. He left in a taxi and, at 2.59am, made a call to his partner, leaving a voicemail. Four minutes later, at 3.03am, he dialed 999 but ended the call after 34 seconds. Police attempted to call him back, but the calls went unanswered, and a text was sent requesting confirmation of his safety.

At 3.04am, police received another call from a third party expressing concern about a man walking near junction 2 of the M32. Officers were dispatched to the area but did not locate him. CCTV footage later showed Luis alone at multiple locations in Eastgate Retail Park between 3.15am and 3.30am. The last confirmed sighting of him was near the Click and Collect facility at the Tesco Extra car park. He was reported missing at 7.37am, and a police investigation was launched.

On Monday, March 3, at around 6pm, Luis’ body was recovered from the River Frome by a police dive team. A post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death, which remains unexplained at this time. Police have stated that there is no evidence of suspicious circumstances or links to any other missing person investigation.

Luis' family paid tribute to him, saying, “Luis was a gift to everyone in his life and was loved by so many people. That was made clear by the people who came out to help search for him. He was such a sociable and friendly person, was loved by everyone, and will be missed by them all.”

His sister, Lubjana Piovesana, a judo Olympian who competed for Team GB before switching to the Austrian team, shared her grief on social media. “Hello everyone, Luis has been found. We are completely devastated but he has passed away. I am grateful for everyone’s support. And I am so sorry this has happened. Luis was my little brother and loved by everyone. I wish he could have seen the love from everyone. He will be remembered by us all,” she wrote, ending her message with a dove emoji.

Detective Inspector Pete Walker, the senior investigating officer, extended condolences to Luis' family and friends. “Our thoughts remain wholly with Luis’ family and friends as they continue to process events of the last week. Our investigation has found no evidence to suggest there are any suspicious circumstances that led to Luis’ death. We also urge people to respect the privacy of his family and avoid speculation, particularly on social media, which can have a significant impact on his grieving loved ones.”

The investigation is ongoing, and a full report will be prepared for the coroner as part of any inquest into Luis’ death.