Luis Piovesana, a 26-year-old quality engineer originally from Sutton Coldfield, died after entering the River Frome in Bristol, an inquest heard. His body was recovered by police divers on 3 March last year, and detectives believe there is no evidence of third-party involvement.
Inquest hears of final night out
Avon Coroners' Court was told that Mr Piovesana had been on a night out with friends in Bristol city centre. He had met friends for dinner and drinks on the evening of 27 February, before visiting the Jam Jar music venue in St Anne's, Bristol. He took magic mushrooms, which contain psilocybin, before and during the event, along with additional alcoholic beverages. Friends described the mushrooms as large and kept in a sandwich bag, and said he had previously consumed them without adverse effects.
In the early hours of 28 February, Mr Piovesana became agitated, and his friends organised an Uber to take him home at 2.55am. At 2.59am, he telephoned his girlfriend and left a “distressed” voicemail, saying the taxi driver was “trying to kidnap him”, according to his family's statement. He also contacted police via 999 at 3.03am, informing the call handler that he had been drugged and was on the motorway. Simultaneously, a motorist rang 999 to report a pedestrian walking on one of the motorway lanes.
Police search and final sighting
Police officers arrived at the motorway at 3.19am but were unable to find Mr Piovesana. Detective Inspector Peter Walker, of Avon and Somerset Police, stated that the taxi driver had not submitted a written statement but informed officers he had allowed Mr Piovesana to exit his vehicle near the motorway slipway. CCTV footage captured Mr Piovesana at the Eastgate shopping centre, with the final confirmed sighting at 3.24am, approximately 450 metres from the sluice gates of the River Frome, where his body was later discovered.
Det Insp Walker characterised Mr Piovesana's movements as “erratic”, adding that it was “clear that Luis was intoxicated” based on the footage. He revealed that officers had compiled 12 minutes of CCTV footage featuring Mr Piovesana, during which there was “nobody else about”. Mr Piovesana was reported missing by his partner at 7.37am on 28 February, prompting an extensive search operation involving police, friends and family.
Coroner's conclusion and family tribute
Dr Peter Harrowing, the area coroner for Avon, reached a narrative conclusion on Thursday. He stated: “Luis Piovesana died following immersion in water after entering the River Frome in Bristol some time between February 28 and March 3 2025. How he came to the water has not been established.” A post-mortem examination recorded the cause of death as 1a immersion in water and 2 psilocybin and ethanol.
Mr Piovesana, who had relocated to the Frenchay area of Bristol to live with his partner in September 2024, held a master's degree in engineering. His family, including his sister, Olympic judo athlete Lubjana Piovesana, attended the inquest. In a family statement read aloud, they said: “Luis had a strong, close relationship with his family including an extensive extended family. We last saw him three weeks before his passing, during his sister's graduation party. He also had large friendship groups in both Bristol and Birmingham. At his funeral, over 500 people attended – a testament to the deep connections he had built.”
