An autopsy of the body of a 20-year-old University of Alabama student who disappeared last week while on spring break in Barcelona shows he likely died from an accidental drowning, according to a preliminary report filed by local police.
The body of James “Jimmy” Gracey, whose disappearance in the wee hours last Tuesday set off a frantic search by Catalan police forces, was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea days later. The report police filed with a local judge found no signs of foul play, but final results will be available on Thursday, according to Spanish newspaper El Periódico.
The Elmhurst, Ill., native had been out with friends at a world-famous nightclub at the city’s Port Olímpic district, which flanks a promenade on sea.
A police spokesman told that Gracey’s phone had been found on an individual known to local authorities for past charges. The individual was ultimately determined to not have come into contact with Gracey and instead was charged with “illegal possession of another person’s belonging.”
On Thursday, Gracey’s wallet was found floating in the water. Police finally recovered Gracey’s body from the water near the nightclub where he had been on Friday afternoon.
According to the newspaper, security camera footage shows Gracey walking by himself onto a dock near the Shoko club and falling in the water.
The preliminary autopsy report points to drowning as the cause of death with multiple injuries to the body consistent with repeated hitting against breakwater rocks, possibly during a swell.
The police spokesman told that the investigation is ongoing and that their first line of investigation is accidental death. He noted that Gracey’s wallet was found intact with money, credit cards and documents, which lessen the likelihood of foul play.. They also confirmed the preliminary autopsy report did not indicate Jimmy suffered injuries prior to drowning.
We are still waiting on confirmation of Spanish media claims and on whether Gracey’s body was found with his gold chain and rhinestone cross.