Barcelona police said they found 20-year-old American James “Jimmy” Gracie dead in shallow ocean waters in front of the beach club Shoko on Thursday, ending a search that began after he went missing while clubbing on Tuesday morning.Investigators said initial indications point to accidental death, but the cause and circumstances remain unclear. “Everything points to this being an accident, not a criminal act,” a police spokesperson said, CNN reports. Relatives said Gracie, of Illinois, had become separated from friends while clubbing and was last seen alive around 3 a.m. His family said he was reported missing when he did not return to his rental the next morning.Gracie was a month away from completing her junior year at the University of Alabama. His aunt told The Associated Press that he traveled abroad for spring break to visit classmates who were studying abroad.His aunt Beth Maren O’Reilly told the AP that he left Alabama last Thursday and spent the weekend in Amsterdam before arriving in Barcelona on Monday. That night, he went with friends to the beach clubs in Port Olympic. In Shoko, he became separated from his friends, his brother Kevin Maclay told CNN affiliate WBMA.“That was the last we heard from him,” McClay said.
How did the police find Gracie?
Spanish authorities searched for Gracie, with police patrolling the seaside area on motorcycles and using underwater units to scour the waters near the club where he was last seen, according to Mossos d’Esquadra, a spokesman for the Catalan police force. As the search continued, Gracie’s father moved to Barcelona.Police eventually recovered Gracie’s phone, which had been stolen, her mother, Therese Gracie, said in a post on Facebook. The Catalan police force declined to share details when CNN asked about the phone.Police reviewed Shoko’s security camera footage to determine her movements in the early hours, WBMA reported. Club staff declined to comment to CNN about the disappearance, but said they had handed over CCTV footage to police. He also said friends returned to the club in recent days to ask for information and went to the beach to hand out missing-person flyers, WBMA reported.Police said Gracie’s body was found underwater a few meters from Somorostro beach, which stretches across Shoko.
‘Unimaginable loss’: Family on Gracie’s death
Loved ones said it was “completely out of character” for Gracie not to check in, and said the family was “heartbroken” after learning she was found dead.“Jimmy was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin and friend, and our family is struggling to cope with this unimaginable loss,” the family said in a statement.As the oldest of five children, Gracie often helped her parents care for her younger siblings, according to her uncle David Gracie, a senior producer for CNN in Washington, DC. He also served as a chaplain and philanthropy chair at Theta Chi fraternity, said Maclay, the chapter president.“He’s someone who goes out of his way to be there for someone in need,” McClay said before learning of his death.Gracie was an avid hockey player, her uncle said. According to his aunt, he was also an honors student in the university’s accounting program.“Jimmy’s loss is deeply felt across our campus,” the University of Alabama said in a statement Thursday.The school said, “The University has been in close contact with the family throughout the week and will continue to provide support to them and Jimmy’s friends, classmates and all members of our community who are affected by this tragedy.”