The tragic final moments of University of Alabama student James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey before he died in Barcelona were witnessed by a Spaniard who helped lead police to his body.
Gracey, 20, was last seen leaving the Shoko beachfront nightclub on Tuesday at 3am. His disappearance sparked a frantic search in Spain, with American media anxiously awaiting updates.
On Thursday, his body was pulled from the Mediterranean sea, confirming his family’s worst fears.
Much remains unknown about how he died.
But an eyewitness told Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force, that he’d seen Gracey walking towards a rocky outcrop that juts out from the beach.
‘From there he may have fallen into the sea and drowned,’ they said.
Police are also reviewing surveillance footage that sources say shows him leaving the club with an unidentified person.
Gracey’s wallet was found floating in the water off Somorrostro Beach shortly before his body was discovered.
The popular beach is right outside Shôko next to one of two major marinas in central Barcelona.
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
Police boats and divers were later seen searching the area along with a helicopter and drones, but police said no further clues were found.
Exactly what happened to Gracey after he was separated from his friends at the club is still unknown and investigators are still 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.
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.
Police searched the Airbnb where Gracey was staying and interviewed the friends he was sharing the holiday rental with and others he was with that night.
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 farther away from the nightclub
Police boats and divers were later seen searching the area along with a helicopter and drones, but police said no further clues were found
Therese said police found her son’s phone when they arrested someone, but cops had shared very few details with the family.
‘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.
She claimed that law enforcement had discovered Gracey’s phone ‘when they searched the guy.’
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.
Therese issued an urgent plea for help in the search for her missing son in a Facebook post earlier this week.
‘The police have his phone but he never made it back to his Airbnb,’ she wrote, pleading with anyone who may have seen him to contact her.
Gracey was wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants, likely joggers, as well as a gold chain with a rhinestone cross when he disappeared.
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’s father, Taras, traveled to Barcelona to search for his son.
His uncle is David Gracey, a CNN senior producer in Washington, and he is the eldest of Taras and Therese’s five children.
Gracey’s family said they were ‘deeply concerned’ about his disappearance, which was out of character for the responsible young man.
‘Jimmy is a kind, responsible, and devoted son and brother. It is completely out of character for him not to check in with family and friends,’ they said in a statement.
‘We are working closely with local authorities and are incredibly grateful for the support we have received.
‘We ask that you keep Jimmy in your thoughts as we continue to do everything we can to bring him home safely.’
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.
Gracey was staying at an Airbnb on Ronda de Sant Pere, one of the city’s main roads.
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
The distance from Shôko to his tourist apartment is roughly 3km (1.8 miles). He never made it back from the club, his mother said.
‘We are conducting the initial checks and have taken a report in an open investigation,’ police said.
‘A call was received early yesterday morning, around 1am, reporting a possible disappearance.
‘The disappearance was reported to have occurred on March 17, 2026, at 3am, in the Port Olympic area.’
Shôko said it did not have any additional information about Gracey’s whereabouts.
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.
McLay said he learned that Gracey was missing from a friend the next morning after Gracey didn’t 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
Gracey’s disappearance is being investigated by Catalonia’s police force, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra
McLay said about 10 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 missing student’s friends rallied to help finding him, handing out flyers on the beach and asking anyone if they had seen him.
The University of Alabama confirmed Gracey was a student on a personal trip.
‘UA staff are in touch with the family and those associated with them to offer support and assistance in any way possible,’ it said.
