CHICAGO (WLS) — James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old Elmhurst native, has been found dead after going missing overseas.
Gracey was visiting friends in Spain for spring break, his family said.
He was last seen on Tuesday outside of Shoko, a club in Villa Olimpica area on the Barceloneta Beach, in an area popular with tourists, according to his family.
“Jimmy” was a junior at the University of Alabama and a graduate of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.
Key Headlines
Mar 20, 2026, 2:56 AM +07
Catalan police say James Gracey has been found dead in waters off Barcelona beach
Here’s how the news is developing.
Mar 19, 2026, 10:55 PM
Chicago-area native college student James Gracey missing
James Gracey, 20, was last seen on Tuesday at a club in Barcelona.
He was last seen outside of Shoko, a club in Villa Olimpica area on the Barceloneta Beach, in an area popular with tourists, according to his family.
The Gracey family is asking for help to find out what happened to him. Anyone with information is urged to contact (224) 505-3886.
10:06 AM +07
CCTV shows Jimmy Gracey accidentally fell into water while alone, police say
Barcelona Police confirmed Friday that CCTV footage showed Jimmy Gracey accidentally falling into the water.
He was alone at the time.
Mar 20, 2026, 11:28 PM +07
James Gracey’s death in Barcelona was likely an accident, Spanish police say
James “Jimmy” Gracey, a college student from the Chicago area who was found dead after going missing while in Barcelona on a break, was likely the victim of an accident, Spanish regional police said Friday.
Gracey’s body was found Thursday afternoon in the waters off a beach, near where he was last seen outside a Barcelona nightclub with his friends in the early hours of Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Catalonia’s regional police in Barcelona told The Associated Press that “all signs point” to the University of Alabama student’s death being accidental, and that an autopsy would take place.
Gracey, 20, was last seen outside the Shoko nightclub around 3 a.m. on Tuesday. He never returned to the room he was renting with friends, according to family members who live in Elmhurst. Police later recovered his phone.
On Friday morning, people in Elmhurst put red ribbons on trees near the Catholic grade school he attended. Click here for more.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.
Mar 20, 2026, 7:01 PM +07
James Gracey’s brother posts tribute to social media after student found dead in Spain
Tommy Gracey posted a tribute to his brother, James “Jimmy” Gracey, on Instagram on Thursday.
“I don’t know what to say or how to deal with this. I can’t believe it. I’m gonna miss all the texts and calls about hockey, school, and life in general. I’m not ready to say goodbye to that,” he said in part.
Mar 20, 2026, 7:42 AM +07
St. Ignatius College Prep plans Memorial Mass for James Gracey
St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago is planning a Memorial Mass for former student James Gracey after he was found dead in Spain.
“We have invited all current parents and students to join us for Memorial Mass to pray for Jimmy’s eternal rest on Monday at 8 a.m. at Church of the Holy Family,” a statement from St. Ignatius College Prep read. “The news of his death allows us to offer a requiem Mass even though it is a Lenten weekday when Masses for the Dead are typically not allowed.”
The Mass will not be open to the public.
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