Jimmy Gracey’s death deemed accidental after vanishing on spring break in Barcelona, police say

Spanish authorities say they’ve ruled out foul play in the death of Jimmy Gracey, a 20-year-old University of Alabama junior, who vanished during a spring break trip to Barcelona after partying at the city’s famed Shoko nightclub on the Mediterranean shore early Tuesday morning.

On Thursday, they recovered his body from the water in a marina just 500 feet away.

“Everything points to it being an accidental death,” a spokesperson for the Mossos d’Esquadra, the regional Catalan police, said in a statement Friday.

Gracey, a college junior standing 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and a group of friends from the Alabama chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity flew to Europe for a spring break trip, with plans to visit friends in Barcelona who are studying abroad.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA STUDENT JAMES GRACEY DISAPPEARS IN BARCELONA AFTER VISITING FRIENDS STUDYING ABROAD

The last known photo of Jimmy Gracey shows him wearing a white T-shirt and gold chain adorned with a rhinestone cross. He was last seen around 3 a.m. at the Shoko nightclub in Barcelona. (Gracey family)

On Monday evening, they went to Shoko, which is on the Barcelona waterfront next to Port Olimpic, a marina on the Mediterranean Sea. The final known photo of him alive shows him inside the club, with curly brown hair and wearing his signature gold chain, with a rhinestone cross.

Most of the group left around 3 a.m. Tuesday, but Gracey stayed behind. He was seen talking to an American woman with brown hair, according to local reports.

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Catalan police from the Mossos d’Esquadra perform a recovery operation at Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (James Breeden for Fox News Digital)

Police have not confirmed Gracey’s movements after he was last seen outside the club.

By the time his friends awoke later that morning, he had failed to return to the group’s Airbnb along Ronda de Sant Pere, a central avenue in the city about 1.5 miles from Shoko.

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Catalan police from the Mossos d’Esquadra search the shoreline and Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. Police were searching for clues as to the whereabouts of 20 year-old University of Alabama student James Gracey who was last seen early Tuesday morning at lo al nightclub, Shoko. (James Breeden for Fox News Digital)

Friends notified his family and local police, who opened an investigation, according to Mossos d’Esquadra, the regional police force in Catalonia, which includes Barcelona.

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Police recovered Gracey’s phone during the arrest of a third-party individual sometime after his disappearance, though authorities have not specified exactly when. Authorities began analyzing Gracey’s recovered phone to get his location data, conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance video from Shoko and nearby businesses.

General view of Shoko nightclub Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. Police were searching for clues as to the whereabouts of 20-year-old University of Alabama student James Gracey who was last seen early Tuesday morning at lo al nightclub, Shoko. (James Breeden for Fox News Digital)

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Authorities have declined to discuss details about that arrest and it remains unclear whether the individual’s possession of the phone is connected to Gracey’s disappearance.

The case made international headlines after Gracey’s mother, Therese Gracey, posted about his disappearance in a Facebook group for expats in Barcelona, and his father, Taras Gracey, flew to Spain to take part in the search effort.

Jimmy Gracey pictured in an undated photo wearing a Crimson Tide football jersey. The University of Alabama junior was reported missing from a trip to Barcelona on March 17. (Gracey family)

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On Thursday, Mossos ‘dEsquadra deployed dive teams along the Mediterranean beach.

Around 6:30 p.m., a worker at the marina was seen running out and flagging down officers. He pointed in the direction he came from, and police soon cordoned off the area, with investigators focused on something inside.

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Despite low visibility — just under 16 inches — they recovered Gracey’s remains around 7:15 p.m.

“Our family is heartbroken as we confirm that Jimmy’s body has been recovered in Barcelona,” the Gracey family said in a statement. “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.”

Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.