James Gracey, US college student missing in Spain, is found dead, police say

Barcelona, Spain (CNN) — James “Jimmy” Gracey, an American college student reported missing in Spain earlier this week, has been found dead, a spokesperson for the Barcelona police told CNN.

“Everything points to it being an accident, not a criminal act,” the spokesperson said.

The 20-year-old junior of Elmhurst, Illinois, was reported missing after he went to a nightclub in Barcelona, Spain, and failed to return to his short-term rental, his family said.

His body was found Thursday in shallow waters at Somorrostro beach, a stretch of beach in front of the Shoko club, where police had been searching for Gracey, according to Barcelona police.

The area was cordoned off with multiple law enforcement vehicles, and forensic teams remained at the scene after the body was found.

Gracey, a student at the University of Alabama, had just arrived to the city Monday to visit friends for spring break and planned to return to the United States this weekend when he went missing, relatives said. He was last seen around 3 a.m. local time Tuesday at Barcelona’s Shoko club near Port Olímpic, relatives said in a statement.

Gracey had been out with friends that evening but had become separated from the group, and “that was the last time we’ve heard from him,” his fraternity brother, Cavin McLay, told CNN affiliate WBMA.

He was reported missing after he failed to return that morning to his short-term rental, his family said.

Gracey’s family is “heartbroken,” they said in a statement Thursday.

“Our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss,” the statement read. “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.”

They say they will continue to work with local authorities and the US Consulate “to better understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.”

Police have Gracey’s phone, which was recovered after being stolen, his mother, Therese Gracey, said in a post on Facebook. When asked about the phone on Thursday, the Catalan police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, did not share any details.

Officers from the force’s aquatic and underwater units had been conducting searches in the waters near the area where he was last seen, according to a police spokesperson.

In addition, some Mossos d’Esquadra officers were patrolling the city’s seaside neighborhood of Barceloneta on motorcycles, looking for Gracey.

Police also reviewed security camera footage to try to retrace his movements in those early hours, WBMA reported. Employees at Shoko nightclub declined to comment about Gracey’s disappearance but told CNN they turned over CCTV footage to police. It’s unclear whether the security footage showed Gracey.

The employees also said friends of Gracey went to the nightclub in the last few days, trying to get more information.

“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,” his family said in a statement before his body was found.

A family spokesperson previously said the college student’s father traveled to Barcelona to aid in the search for his son.

The US State Department declined to provide details, citing “privacy concerns and other considerations.”

Gracey, the eldest of five children, was an avid hockey player and a responsible young man who helped his parents take care of his younger siblings, according to his uncle David Gracey, who is a CNN senior producer in Washington, DC.

At the University of Alabama, James Gracey was an honors student in the accounting program, his aunt Beth Marren O’Reilly told CNN.

While Gracey was on a personal trip, University of Alabama said staff were in touch with the family.

In a new statement Thursday, the university said the campus community is “heartbroken” over Gracey’s death.

“The University has been in close contact with the family throughout the week and will continue to provide support to them and to Jimmy’s friends, classmates, and all members of our community who are affected by this tragedy,” the statement read.

Gracey was also a member of Theta Chi fraternity, where he served as the chapter’s chaplain and philanthropy chairman, said McLay, the chapter president.

“He’s the guy that goes out of his way to be there when someone needs it,” he said in a Wednesday statement.

Last year, another US college student went missing while on spring break.

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, vanished at the beach of the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic early on March 6, 2025. Her disappearance prompted a frantic search by air, sea and land, involving authorities from the United States, the Dominican Republic and India, where Konanki’s family is originally from. She remains missing.

The US State Department has recommendations for how to stay safe traveling abroad and what to do if a loved one goes missing. If a US citizen relative or friend is not responding to communications, officials recommend notifying the police, both in the location where they were last known to be or where you think they’re missing, and the State Department’s Overseas Citizens Services office in Washington, DC, or your nearest US Embassy or Consulate. From the US and Canada, the Overseas Citizens Services office can be contacted at 1-888-407-4747.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Chris Boyette wrote and reported from Atlanta and CNN en Español’s Pau Mosquera reported from Barcelona. CNN’s Taylor Romine, Cindy Von Quednow and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.