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The heart-wrenching final moments of University of Alabama student James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey were witnessed by a local in Barcelona, who ultimately assisted authorities in locating his body.
Gracey, aged 20, was last observed departing the Shôko nightclub on the beach in the early hours of Tuesday morning, around 3 a.m. An eyewitness informed the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police, that Gracey had been heading toward a rocky area extending from the coastline.
“He might have fallen into the sea and drowned from there,” the witness speculated. This theory is now supported by police findings and a preliminary autopsy.
Tragically, on Thursday, his body was recovered from the Mediterranean, confirming his family’s deepest fears.
While the investigation continues, authorities have not dismissed the possibility that Gracey may have been drugged. On Friday, they stated that toxicology results are still awaited. Reports suggest that Gracey, potentially impaired by drugs, alcohol, or both, ventured toward the water and accidentally fell in.
Investigators have also been reviewing surveillance footage that sources said showed him leaving the club with an unidentified person, something police have not confirmed.
The breakthrough in the case came when Gracey’s wallet was found with cash, credit cards and ID inside floating in the water off Somorrostro Beach shortly before his body was discovered.
Police boats and divers later scoured the area along with a helicopter and drones, before making the grim discovery and bringing his body to shore.
Exactly what happened to the beloved student after he was separated from his friends at the club is still unknown, and investigators are still piecing together his movements.
James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey, 20, a junior at the University of Alabama, disappeared while holidaying for spring break, visiting friends studying abroad in Barcelona. His body was recovered from the Mediterranean on Thursday
Police believe when he left a nightclub after drinking he walked towards some rocks (circled) that stuck out of the nearby beach
Hopes were raised by an arrest, but police now suspect that the individual did not have any direct contact with the student, a source told Fox News Digital.
Recalling what happened on that fateful night, Gracey’s Theta Chi fraternity brother, Cavin McLay, said his friend had wanted to stay longer at Shôko and became separated from the group, lost in the chaos of the crowded dance floor.
Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s police force, later said it could not rule out foul play after discovering Gracey left the nightclub with a stranger.
Security camera footage reviewed by police showed him leaving Shôko with another person, and 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 had left with.
A witness also told police they saw a young man walking towards the sea on the beach adjacent to the nightclub.
But Spanish media reported Friday that reviewed surveillance video shows Gracey walking from the nightclub by himself, heading toward a dock jutting off the beach and falling into the water ‘without third-party involvement’.
A preliminary autopsy report filed on Friday reportedly found that Jimmy ‘accidentally fell into the sea and drowned’, with no foul play now suspected by the court or police.
The autopsy report also documented ‘several injuries consistent with hitting the rocks of a breakwater,’ a reference to the jutting rocks he is believed to have fallen from into the waters below.
The rock wall goes out into the ocean away from the beach where a witness saw Gracey walking towards the sea
Two piers with rocks along the side of them and another rocky outcrop also jut out from the beach, but are much further away from the nightclub
Police boats and divers later searched the area along with a helicopter and drones on Thursday
During the two-day search for the young man, police scoured the area and searched the Airbnb where he had been staying about 3km (1.8 miles) from Shôko.
They arrested a man, who Gracey’s mother Therese said had possession of her son’s phone.
‘What we’ve put together is that his phone was stolen and the police just happened to pick the guy who stole it up,’ she wrote online. ‘The police have his phone but he never made it back to his Airbnb.’
She claimed that law enforcement had discovered Gracey’s phone ‘when they searched the guy.’
Police now do not believe the individual, who had a history of thefts, had any direct contact with Gracey, a source close to the Catalan police told Fox News Digital.
The man was believed to have found the phone on the street before taking it, according to the insider.
Gracey’s father, Taras, traveled to Barcelona to search for his son, but to no avail. Once toxicology tests have been run, the young man’s body will be returned to his family in the US for burial.
Exactly what happened to Gracey after he was separated from his friends at the club is still unknown
Gracey’s last appearance was around 3am local time at the nightclub Shôko, according to his mother
Gracey was elected onto the Theta Chi fraternity’s University of Alabama executive board as a chaplain in October
Gracey’s friends rallied to help find him, handing out flyers on the beach and asking people if they had seen him
Gracey left Alabama last Thursday and spent the weekend in Amsterdam before arriving Monday in Barcelona.
He is from the Elmhurst suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he was part of the Theta Chi fraternity.
McLay said he learned that Gracey was missing from a friend the next morning after he failed to come back to the Airbnb.
‘My heart sank to my stomach. It’s definitely not a good text to wake up to,’ he told NBC.
‘First thoughts were, hopefully he just lost his phone and tried making his way back on his own.’
Family members said Gracey had been in Amsterdam over the weekend and got to Barcelona on Monday morning
McLay said about ten people in the group were in Barcelona right now, visiting a few fraternity members who were studying abroad.
He said there was nothing out of the ordinary at the nightclub and no reason for any of the holidaymakers to fear for their safety.
‘It’s tough. We’re doing everything we can to keep our heads up and remain hopeful that we find him safe, but it’s a tough time. And, you know, we’re scared,’ he told WVMTM.
A post from November said Gracey had been elected onto the fraternity’s executive board as a chaplain.
Gracey wrote on LinkedIn that he was looking forward to ‘leading with integrity, promoting a values-based culture and supporting the personal and spiritual growth of the chapter’.
The student’s friends rallied to help find him, handing out flyers on the beach and asking anyone if they had seen him.
Gracey’s family said Friday that they were ‘heartbroken’ and remembered Gracey as ‘deeply loved’
Gracey’s family made a statement Friday night to WGN after his death was confirmed.
‘Our family is heartbroken as we confirm that Jimmy’s body has been recovered in Barcelona.
‘Jimmy was a deeply loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend, and our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.
‘We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people around the world – so many helped to share Jimmy’s story and bring his life to light so that others may know him.’
The University of Alabama previously confirmed Gracey was a student on a personal trip and said Thursday they were ‘heartbroken to learn of the death of Jimmy Gracey.’
‘Jimmy’s loss is deeply felt across our campus,’ the university said in a statement. ‘Our condolences are with the Gracey family during this devastating time.’