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Missing man 'called 999 from taxi'

Sarah Turnnidge
BBC News, Bristol
Family photo Luis Piovesana shown smiling at the camera. He has dark curly hair, a moustache, and wears a light cap with darker glasses over the top. Family photo
Police said Mr Piovesana called 999 in the minutes after leaving the club

A man who went missing after a night out called 999 from a taxi after leaving a nightclub, police have said.

Luis Piovesana, 26, was last seen in the early hours of 28 February after leaving The Jam Jar in St Jude's, Bristol at 02:55 GMT.

In a press conference Avon and Somerset Police said he left the club in a taxi and called both his partner and 999 in the minutes after his departure, the 999 call lasting 34 seconds.

The last confirmed sighting of Mr Piovesana was at Eastgate Retail Park, where he was seen on CCTV between 03:15 and 03:30 GMT.

Police have released new CCTV as part of the search

Police said the 999 call made to them by Mr Piovesana ended after 34 seconds, and attempts had been made to call and text him back to confirm his safety but had gone unanswered.

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Det Insp Pete Walker said more than a 100 police officers and staff had been involved in the search, joined by many more volunteers.

He urged anyone in the St Werburgh's, St Agnes, Eastville and Fishponds areas with any CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage covering the period from 03:00 until 07:00 on Friday to send it to police as it "could be vital" in helping officers trace his movements.

Avon and Somerset Police Luis, who has dark hair, shown on CCTV walking in the dark in a dark jacket with light-coloured bag across his chest. Avon and Somerset Police
Mr Piovesana, 26, was last seen in the early hours of Friday morning

Timeline so far

  • 02:55 on Friday 28 February – Mr Piovesana was last seen by friends at the Jam Jar in Little Ann Street, St Jude's, getting into a taxi.
  • 03:03 – He then made a 999 call to police, lasting 34 seconds. Attempts were made to call him back, police say, but these went unanswered and so a text was sent to his phone asking him to confirm if he was safe. Officers then tried to establish where the call had been made from.
  • 03:04 – Police received a call from a member of the public concerned about a man walking near Junction 2 of the M32. Officers went to the scene but did not find the man, and police say they are "keeping an open mind" about whether this relates to Mr Piovesana.
  • 03:15 – 03:30 – CCTV footage released by police shows Mr Piovesana in multiple locations at Eastgate Retail Park. The last confirmed sighting of him is near the Click and Collect facility at the back of the Tesco Extra car park. His bag, phone and wallet were later found discarded at the retail park by a friend using a tracking app linked to his phone, with CCTV footage later showing him abandoning the items.
  • 07:37 - Mr Piovesana is reported missing and an investigation is launched.
Det Insp Pete Walker standing outside a police building, holding a piece of paper with a statement on it. He is wearing a dark suite, a burgundy tie and a purple shirt, and is looking at the camera. There is a row of microphones, some on a stand and some on poles, held in front of him.
Det Insp Pete Walker said any CCTV footage could be "vital"

Det Insp Walker confirmed during the press conference that the taxi driver had been located and spoken to by officers.

In a statement he said: "We remain incredibly concerned for the welfare of Luis and despite extensive and extremely thorough searches have unfortunately yet been able to find him.

"We are extremely grateful for the support of Luis' family and friends and also the search-and-rescue and helicopter teams who have helped us so far and continue to do so."

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