BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Police are citing video showing the death of a 20-year-old University of Alabama student while on vacation in Spain was an accident, citing footage of him falling into the ocean the night he disappeared.
Surveillance video early Tuesday morning showed James Paul Gracie walking alone to the Port Olympic dock area and then falling into the water without anyone intervening, El Pais reported.
Gracie, a junior accounting major at the University of Alabama, went to the Shôko nightclub near Port Olympic on Monday night. He was last seen leaving the club with someone at around 3am on Tuesday. When he failed to return to the rental house where he was staying, his family declared him missing.
On Thursday, the Mossos d’Esquadra began searching for Gracie in the water along Somorrostro beach near Port Olympic. Police initially found his wallet floating in the water and later found Gracey in about 13 feet of water.
Police remove a body found in the waters near the port of Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. The body was later identified as that of James Paul Gracey, a 20-year-old student at the University of Alabama who was on vacation in Spain. (AP Photo/Alfonso Beato)
A spokesman for Mossos d’Esquadra said in a statement to The Associated Press that “all indications point” to Gracie’s death being accidental.
In The Nation’s report, police also revealed how they obtained Gracie’s phone, a controversial notion that led many online sleuths to believe he may have been harmed. Specifically, Barcelona city police caught a pickpocket in the area who claimed to have found a mobile phone.
“Barcelona police discovered after checking the contacts on the phone that the phone belonged to Gracie,” the report said. “Police did not know whether the young man had lost it or if it had been stolen, but they believe it had nothing to do with Gracie’s subsequent fall into the sea.”
Gracie, who is from Elmhurst, Ill., a suburb outside Chicago, was scheduled to fly home on Saturday. He is expected to graduate from UA next year.
“The University of Alabama community is devastated to learn of the passing of Jimmy Gracie,” University of Alabama officials said in a statement Thursday. “Our entire campus is deeply saddened by Jimmy’s passing. Our condolences go out to the Gracie family during this devastating time.:
Gracie’s family released the following statement:
“Our family is heartbroken when we confirm Jimmy’s body has been found in Barcelona.
“Jimmy was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin and friend, and our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of love, support and prayers from people around the world – many who helped share Jimmy’s story and shine a light on his life so others could understand him.
“We also sincerely thank local authorities and the U.S. Consulate for their continued support and coordination as we work to better understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.
“We ask that you please respect our privacy as we work through this painful time so that we can grieve together and begin to process his loss as a family.”
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Friday at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Catalonia to determine the cause of Gracie’s death.
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