Spanish Authorities Conclude Jimmy Gracey’s Death as Accidental; Chain Necklace Remains Unrecovered

EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: Spanish officials have informed Fox News Digital that the distinctive gold chain and rhinestone cross belonging to Jimmy Gracey remain unaccounted for in their ongoing probe into the 20-year-old’s demise.

Carles Valles, a representative for the Mossos d’Esquadra, the regional police force in Catalonia, verified that the necklace is still missing.

Merely a day after the University of Alabama junior, 20, was discovered lifeless in the waters near Port Olimpic—a marina on the Mediterranean Sea close to where he and his friends enjoyed an evening at the renowned Shoko nightclub—authorities determined that Gracey’s passing was accidental.

An undated photograph captures Jimmy Gracey sporting a Crimson Tide football jersey. The University of Alabama junior had been reported missing during a visit to Barcelona on March 17. (Courtesy of the Gracey family)

In a search spanning March 17 to March 19, law enforcement recovered Gracey’s phone from an individual wanted for an unrelated crime. His wallet, equipped with cash, credit cards, and ID, was discovered floating in the water.

Results of an autopsy and toxicology report have not been released.

Jason Pack, a former FBI analyst, said the story of the evidence gathered in the case must be filtered through the lens of the grieving Gracey family. 

“Spanish authorities have ruled his death accidental. Surveillance footage reportedly shows him walking alone toward the water. The autopsy points to drowning. And the man arrested with Jimmy’s phone is believed to have simply found it on the street,” Pack told Fox News Digital. “Spanish investigators cleared him of involvement and charged him with illegal possession of stolen property. That explanation seems plausible with the right context — like if the trauma was postmortem.” 

Mourners attend a vigil for Jimmy Gracey held at the Theta Chi fraternity at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gracey died while on spring break in Barcelona, Spain. (Dana Mixer for Fox News Digital)

“What lingers are a few details that haven’t been fully explained publicly,” he said. “Some reports have raised questions about certain forensic language in the preliminary autopsy findings. His wallet came back intact: cash, cards, ID all there … which Spanish police say supports the conclusion he wasn’t targeted.”

“His gold chain, which he’s wearing in the last known photo of him alive, has not been recovered. That may mean nothing. Breakwaters are unforgiving and currents are strong,” he continued. “But families don’t get to grieve cleanly when questions are still lingering. Hopefully, Spanish authorities have already sat down with the Graceys privately and walked them through every detail.”

General view of Shoko nightclub near the Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (James Breeden for Fox News Digital)

“A family that raised a young man like Jimmy clearly knows something about faith and grace,” he said. “I’m praying they find both in the days ahead.”

Gracey was laid to rest in his hometown of Elmhurst, Ill. on Tuesday.