Photo: Gracey family
The body found in water off a Barcelona beach was confirmed to be missing University of Alabama student James 'Jimmy' Gracey, police announced on Thursday (March 19) via the Associated Press.
Catalan divers pulled what was described as a "lifeless body" in waters estimated to be 13 feet deep just off the shore and investigators positively matched the remains to Gracey, 20, who was seen leaving the Shôko nightclub near Port Olímpic in video surveillance footage recorded at around 3:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday (March 17) prior to his disappearance.
Gracey never returned to the room he was renting with his friends, according to his family in Elmhurst, Illinois, and they realized something was wrong when police contacted them and said they'd recovered his phone. The family shared a statement after the 20-year-old's body was confirmed to have been recovered in Barcelona.
“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,” the statement said.
“We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people around the world. ... As we navigate this painful time, we kindly ask for privacy so that we may grieve together and begin to process this loss as a family.”
The search for Gracey launched on Thursday morning and involved Catalan police's Aquatic and Underwater Units, as well as the Drone Unit, the department confirmed to the Spanish news outlet Elperiodico.com.