Authorities say they have found the body of a college student from Illinois who was vacationing in Spain.
The body of 20-year-old James “Jimmy” Gracey was found Thursday evening in the water off a Barcelona beach, the press office for Catalonia’s regional police in Barcelona said. A team of police divers found the body.
Gracey graduated from Chicago’s Saint Ignatius College Prep in 2023, the school confirmed to the Tribune. Gracey was a third-generation alumni of the private Catholic school, following his mother, grandfather and great-uncle, according to a Saint Ignatius spokesperson.
The school, in a statement, said the “Saint Ignatius College Prep community is united in grief” following the news of Gracey’s death and are holding his family “in our hearts as they process the unimaginable loss of their beloved son, brother, nephew and grandson.”
His body was found near where he was last seen outside a nightclub with his friends early Tuesday.
He never returned to the room he was renting with friends. Police recovered his phone soon after he went missing. Gracey was a student at the University of Alabama, and was visiting friends in Barcelona for a spring break trip.
ADDS ID: This undated photo shows James “Jimmy” Gracey, left, with his aunt Beth Marren O’Reilly. (Gracey Family via AP)
Catalan police say that their investigation continues into the cause of death.
Gracey, a college student at the University of Alabama, was last seen outside the Shoko nightclub in Barcelona but separated from friends around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, his family said.
Gracey never returned to the room he was renting with friends, according to family members who live in Elmhurst. His family realized something was wrong when police contacted them, saying they had recovered his phone.
Barcelona is a popular tourist destination that brings in millions of foreign visitors each year. It is generally safe, especially compared with major U.S. cities, where tourists’ biggest worry are normally pickpockets.
Barcelona’s beaches, located in walking distance of its center, are a main draw especially for young visitors. The area where Gracey went out is a stretch of beach with several restaurants and nightclubs that are frequented by locals and foreigners.
Police officers rescue the body of a person found in the waters off the Port of Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alfonso Beato)
Police officers carry the body of a person found in the waters off the Port of Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alfonso Beato)
Police officers carry the body of a person found in the waters off the Port of Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alfonso Beato)
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Police officers rescue the body of a person found in the waters off the Port of Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alfonso Beato)
During his time at St. Ignatius, Gracey played hockey and lacrosse and was a member of both the National Honors Society and the Latin Honor Society.
The school said Gracey will be remembered for his strength of character, loyalty and the way he showed up for teammates and friends.
“We are keeping Jimmy and his family at the forefront of our thoughts, and our staff are in direct communication with the family to offer every support and assistance possible,” the University of Alabama said in a statement on Thursday.
Gracey was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity at the school, and the international organization said he held two positions within the school’s chapter.
A memorial mass for Gracey will be held Monday at 8 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Family on Chicago’s Near West Side, according to St. Ignatius.
Tribune reporter Tess Kenny contributed.