Barcelona police said they found the body of 20-year-old American James “Jimmy” Gracey in shallow water in front of seaside club Shoko on Thursday, ending a search that began early Tuesday after he went missing from the club.Investigators said initial signs pointed to an accidental death, but the cause and circumstances remained unclear. “Everything points to an accident and not a crime,” a police spokesman said, according to CNN. Gracie, from Illinois, was last seen alive around 3 a.m. after parting ways with friends at a nightclub, relatives said. His family said he was reported missing after he failed to return to his rental home the next morning.Gracie is one month away from completing her junior year at the University of Alabama. His aunt told The Associated Press that he traveled abroad during spring break to visit classmates studying abroad.His aunt, Beth Mullen O’Reilly, told The Associated Press that he left Alabama last Thursday and spent the weekend in Amsterdam before arriving in Barcelona on Monday. That night he went to the Marina Club in Port Olympic with friends. His fraternity brother, Cavin McLay, told CNN affiliate WBMA that he was separated from his friends in Shoko.“That was the last we heard from him,” McClay said.
How did the police discover Gracie?
Spanish authorities were searching for Gracie, patrolling seaside communities on motorcycles and using underwater devices to search the waters near the club where Gracie was last seen, according to a spokesman for Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra police force. As the search continued, Gracie’s father flew to Barcelona.Gracie’s mother, Teresa Gracie, posted on Facebook that police eventually recovered the stolen phone. Catalan police declined to give details when asked by CNN about the phone.According to WBMA, police reviewed Shoko’s surveillance video to track his movements in the early morning hours. Employees at the club declined to comment to CNN about the disappearance but said they had forwarded CCTV footage to police. They also said friends had returned to the club in recent days seeking information and walking on the beach handing out missing persons flyers, WBMA reported.Police said Gracie’s body was found several meters underwater on Somorrostro beach, which stretches in front of Shoko.
‘Unthinkable loss’: Family after Gracie’s death
Relatives said Gracie’s failure to report was “completely out of character” and said the family was “heartbroken” after learning Gracie was found dead.“Jimmy was a beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin and friend, and our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss,” the family said in a statement.The eldest of five children, Gracey often helped his parents care for his younger siblings, according to his uncle David Gracey, a CNN senior producer in Washington, D.C. said chapter president McClay, who also serves as chaplain and philanthropic chairman of Theta Chi fraternity.“When someone needed help, he would go out of his way to be there,” McClay said before learning of his death.Gracie was an avid hockey player, his uncle said. He also was an honors student in the university’s accounting program, according to his aunt.“Our entire campus is deeply saddened by Jimmy’s passing,” the University of Alabama said in a statement Thursday.The school added: “The school has been in close contact with Jimmy’s family this week and will continue to offer support to them, Jimmy’s friends, classmates and all members of the community affected by this tragedy.”
