BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The body of James “Jimmy” Gracie, an Illinois college student who went missing during spring break in Spain, was found Thursday in the water near a Barcelona beach, police said.
Gracie’s body was discovered by police divers and identified, Barcelona’s Catalonia regional police press office told The Associated Press. The University of Alabama student’s body was found early Tuesday near where he was last seen with friends outside a nightclub. He was visiting friends in Barcelona during spring break.
Catalan police said they were continuing to investigate the cause of death.
Gracie, 20, was last seen outside Barcelona’s Shoko nightclub but became separated from friends at around 3am on Tuesday. Gracie never returned to the room he shared with friends, according to family members who live in the suburb of Elmhurst, about 19 miles (31 kilometers) west of Chicago. They realized something was wrong when police contacted them and said they had found his phone.
In a statement released Thursday night, the Gracie family asked for prayers and privacy.
“Our family is heartbroken when we confirm that Jimmy’s body has been found in Barcelona. Jimmy was our beloved 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 deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, support and prayers from people around the world… We ask that you all grant us privacy as we work through this painful time so that we can grieve together and begin to process this loss as a family.”
In an interview conducted before police confirmed Gracie’s death, Gracie’s aunt told The Associated Press that he was “just a good kid, a good Catholic boy from the Midwest.”
“Excellent student, honors program at the University of Alabama, fraternity minister, you know, he was an amazing older brother and a role model to his cousins,” Beth Mullen O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly said her nephew left Alabama on Thursday and spent the weekend in Amsterdam before arriving in Barcelona on Monday. Gracie’s family doesn’t know how police obtained his phone. Gracie’s father, Taras, is in Barcelona and has been cooperating with police, O’Reilly said.
Barcelona is a popular tourist destination, attracting millions of foreign tourists every year. Overall, it’s safe here, especially compared to major U.S. cities where tourists’ biggest concern is usually pickpockets.
Barcelona’s beaches are just a short walk from the city center and are particularly attractive to young tourists. The place where Gracie went out was a beach with several restaurants and nightclubs frequented by locals and foreigners.
The University of Alabama said in a statement that the school community was “heartbroken to learn of the passing of Jimmy Gracie. The entire campus is deeply saddened by Jimmy’s passing. Our condolences go out to the Gracie family during this devastating time.”
Gracie was a member of the school’s Theta Chi fraternity, the international organization said, and in addition to serving as chaplain to the school chapter, he was philanthropy chairman.
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O’Connor reported from Springfield, Illinois, and Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. AP video journalist Laura Bagfield in Chicago and writer Suman Neshadem in Madrid contributed.