James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey found dead, cause of death believed to be the result of drowning as questions continue to surround missing University of Alabama student death during Barcelona visit to Shoko club.
A University of Alabama student who traveled to Barcelona, Spain to visit friends during spring break only to fail to return after a night of clubbing leading to a frantic search for the missing 20-year-old has been found dead.
James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey‘s body was discovered by police divers near Port Olímpic on Thursday according to Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force.
Gracey’s body was formally identified later that day and his family notified, a source revealed according to Spanish media.
Missing 20-year-old University of Alabama’s body found day after wallet found along beach surf
‘We are so grateful for the kindness and concern that has been shown for our family during this incredibly difficult time,’ the family said in a statement on Thursday. ‘We have made the decision to pause media interviews at this time to focus on being together and caring for one another. Thank you for respecting our privacy and holding our family in your thoughts and prayers. We will share updates if and when we’re able.’
The update in the missing 20-year-old’s whereabouts comes less than a day after Gracey’s wallet was found along Somorrostro Beach close to the beachfront Barcelona Shoko club where he was last seen just on 3 a.m, Tuesday.
Police now believe Gracey may have fallen off a rocky outcrop into the Mediterranean Sea and drowned, according to Spanish media outlet La Vanguardia.
Police believe when he left the nightclub after drinking he walked towards some rocks that stuck out of the nearby beach and may have fallen into the sea.
‘A witness who happened to be passing saw him leave the nightclub, saw him heading towards this rocky outcrop,’ a source at Mossos d’Esquadra earlier told the Daily Mail.
‘From there he may have fallen into the sea and drowned.’
Somorrostro Beach is right outside Shôko next to one of two major marinas in central Barcelona, and investigators theorized he may have entered the water.
What happened to Jimmy from when he was last seen and him ending up along sea rocks?
What happened to Gracey after he was separated from his friends at the club is still unknown and investigators are piecing together his movements.
Gracey’s Theta Chi fraternity brother Cavin McLay said he wanted to stay longer at Shôko and became separated from the group. He has not been seen since.
Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s police force, said it could not rule out foul play after discovering Gracey left the nightclub with a stranger.
Who did Jimmy leave Shoko club with?
Security camera footage reviewed by police showed him leaving Shôko with another person, but investigators have not yet identified them.
Gracey was seen talking to a young brown-haired American woman at the nightclub, but it was unclear if she was the same person he left with.
A witness also told police they saw a young man walking towards the sea on the beach adjacent to the nightclub.
Who found Jimmy’s phone and are they involved?
Prior to Gracey’s wallet being found, his cellphone was found on a person at the Shoko club. Police have not clarified whether the person who had the phone was arrested in connection with Gracey’s disappearance, or the phone was discovered by chance when he was detained for something else.
How the man got the phone and whether he took it from Gracey or found it, is unclear.
Gracey was in Amsterdam over the weekend and arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning, according to family members.
He is from the Elmhurst suburb of Chicago, Illinois, but attends the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he is part of the Theta Chi fraternity.
Shôko is a bustling beachfront nightclub along Barcelona’s La Barceloneta seaside neighborhood, known for its Mediterranean views and popular among locals and visitors.
It has been ranked the seventh best nightclub in the world by Nightlife International.
