BARCELONA — James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Alabama has gone missing in Barcelona, Spain while visiting for spring break.
▶ LISTEN TO ORLANDO’S MORNING NEWS EXPRESS PODCAST ON WDBO
He was last seen March 17 at 3 AM leaving the Shôko nightclub near Port Olímpic.
“My college aged son is visiting friends who are studying abroad,” Gracey’s mother Therese wrote in the Facebook group Barcelona Expat Families. “The[y] went to Shoko last night. The police have his phone, but he never made it back to his Airbnb.”
His mother identified the Airbnb as Ronda de Sant Pere.
An Instagram post from his fraternity, Theta Chi Alabama, describes Gracey as last having worn a “white T-shirt, dark pants, gold chain with a cross,” and that he is “6′1″ [with] curly dark hair.″
CNN reports that the case is being investigated by the Catalan police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, and that on Wednesday, officers from the police force’s aquatic unit searched the waters near where Gracey was last seen but turned up nothing.
In an additional statement to NBC News, the Catalan police say they “are conducting the initial checks and have taken a report in an open investigation.” That first call, they say, was received early Tuesday morning.
“Jimmy is a kind, responsible, and devoted son and brother,” the Gracey family wrote in a formal statement. “It is completely out of character for him not to check in with family and friends. We are working closely with local authorities and are incredibly grateful for the support we have received. We ask that you keep Jimmy in your thoughts as we continue to do everything we can to bring him home safely.”
Anyone with any information regarding Jimmy Gracey’s disappearance is urged to call 1-224-505-3886.
Click here to download our free news, weather and traffic app. And click here to subscribe to our daily 3 Big Things newsletter.