Authorities have not yet confirmed that this is James Gracey
A body was found but has not yet been identified, a Barcelona police spokesperson confirmed to CNN when asked about the search for .
The spokesman said the body was found this afternoon on Somorrostro beach, in front of the Shoko nightclub, where police were searching for the 20-year-old.
An American college student who was visiting friends during spring break has disappeared in Spain, his family said, adding that Spanish police have his cellphone.
James “Jimmy” Gracey, 20, a third-year student at the University of Alabama, was last seen by a friend around 3 a.m. local time Tuesday in front of the Shoko nightclub in Barcelona, near Port Olimpic, family members said in a statement.
Gracey had been out with friends that night but became separated from the group and “that was the last time we heard from him,” his fraternity roommate, Cavin McLay, told CNN affiliate WBMA.
He was reported missing after failing to return that morning to his rental property for a short period of time, his mother, Therese Gracey, said in a Facebook post. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants and a necklace with a gold crucifix, his family said, adding that he is about 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds.
Police recovered James Gracey’s cellphone, according to his mother, who said the device had been stolen. The Catalan police, Mossos d’Esquadra, are investigating the case.
Agents from the corporation’s aquatic and underwater units are carrying out searches in the waters close to the place where he was last seen, according to a police spokesperson. The searches yielded no results, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation to CNN.
Furthermore, some Mossos d’Esquadra agents are patrolling the coastal neighborhood of Barceloneta, on motorbikes, looking for Gracey.
Police are also analyzing security camera footage and trying to reconstruct his movements overnight, WBMA reported.
“Jimmy is a kind, responsible and dedicated son and brother. It is completely out of character for him to not be in contact with family and friends,” a family statement reads. “We ask that you keep Jimmy in your thoughts as we continue to do everything we can to bring him home safely.”
The US State Department declined to provide details, citing “privacy concerns and other considerations.”
Shoko nightclub employees refused to comment on Gracey’s disappearance, but confirmed that they had handed over security camera footage to the police. It’s unclear whether the images show Gracey.
Officials also said that Gracey’s friends had been going to the club in recent days in an attempt to obtain more information.
Gracey, a resident of Elmhurst, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, was visiting friends studying abroad and arrived in Barcelona just the morning before he disappeared, according to his family, who are asking for the public’s help in finding him.
While Gracey was on a personal trip, the University of Alabama told CNN that “staff are in contact with the family and loved ones to offer support and assistance in any way possible.”
Gracey, the oldest of five siblings, has a plane ticket scheduled for Saturday to return to the United States, according to his uncle, David Gracey, a senior producer at CNN in Washington, D.C. The college student’s father traveled to Barcelona to help search for his son, according to a family spokesperson.
He doesn’t usually stay away from his family, said David Gracey about his nephew, highlighting that he is an avid hockey player and a responsible young man who helps his parents take care of his younger brothers.
At the University of Alabama, James Gracey is an honor roll accounting student, his aunt, Beth Marren O’Reilly, told CNN.
He is also a member of Theta Chi fraternity, where he serves as chaplain and philanthropy chair, said McLay, the fraternity president.
“He is the type of person who goes out of his way to be there when someone is in need,” he said in a statement. “We are optimistic and hopeful that we will find him safe.”
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student at the University of Pittsburgh, disappeared on the beach at the Hotel Riu República, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in the early hours of March 6, 2025. Her disappearance triggered a frantic search by air, sea and land, involving authorities from the United States, the Dominican Republic and India, the country of origin of Konanki’s family. She remains missing.
CNN’s Chris Boyette wrote and reported from Atlanta, and CNN en Español’s Pau Mosquera reported from Barcelona. CNN’s Diego Mendoza and Taylor Romine contributed to this story
