Body present in waters off Spain confirmed to be lacking University of Alabama scholar | EUROtoday

Police in Spain say they’ve discovered the physique of University of Alabama scholar James “Jimmy” Gracey, who went lacking earlier this week whereas visiting his associates in Barcelona for a spring break journey.

The physique of 20-year-old Gracey was discovered Thursday night round 6 p.m. within the water off Barcelona’s Somorrostro seashore, close to the place he was final seen outdoors a nightclub early Tuesday morning, in keeping with Catalan police.

Gracey was final seen round 3 a.m. on March 17 outdoors Shôko Barcelona, a preferred nightclub within the metropolis’s Olympic Village close to Barceloneta Beach, his household mentioned in a Facebook assertion.

Earlier Thursday police mentioned they suspected foul play in his disappearance after surveillance footage they seen from that evening confirmed Gracey outdoors Shôko, leaving the membership.

Gracey, who was sporting a white shirt and darkish pants and a series with a gold rhinestone cross, by no means returned to the room he was renting with associates, in keeping with relations who reside within the suburb of Elmhurst, about 19 miles west of Chicago.

Police recovered his telephone quickly after he went lacking. Police additionally mentioned his pockets was discovered floating within the water close to Somorrostro Beach, prompting an intensified search of the encircling shoreline, in keeping with ABC7 Chicago.

Beth Marren O’Reilly, who’s Gracey’s aunt, advised The Associated Press that he and his associates arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning to go to a gaggle of University of Alabama associates learning overseas there.

Local authorities notified Gracey’s mother and father that that they had his telephone. Originally, the household thought Gracey could have misplaced his telephone or been pickpocketed, however once they reached out to his associates, they discovered that Gracey wasn’t with them as of early Tuesday morning.

“You keep thinking that … you’re going to wake up from this and it’s a terrible nightmare,” O’Reilly mentioned. “You know, you see people say this all the time. You never thought it could be our family. And here we are.”

O’Reilly described him as a “good Catholic boy from the Midwest” and an “amazing older brother” to his 4 youthful siblings. Along together with his fraternity commitments, he’s within the honors program at Alabama, she mentioned.

“He’s such an all-around good kid,” O’Reilly mentioned. “And that’s why we’re so worried. It’s just, it’s not like him to not be in contact.”

Gracey, an accounting main set to graduate subsequent 12 months, was additionally a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. Fraternity officers mentioned he served as each chaplain and a philanthropy chairman.

Catalan police say that their investigation continues into the reason for demise.