BEHIND THE DEATH OF AMERICAN STUDENT IN SPAIN: ACCIDENT OR THE IMPOSSIBLE MARTIAL ARTS
BARCELONA, Spain (WBRC/Gray News) – Authorities in Spain have released the cause of death for a University of Alabama student who died while visiting Barcelona over spring break.
James Paul “Jimmy” Gracey was last seen on March 17 around 3 a.m. He was at a nightclub, and Gracey’s aunt, Beth Marren O’Reilly, said he somehow got separated from his friends at the nightclub.
El Periódico de Catalunya reported that Gracey’s roommates alerted police that he didn’t make it back to the Airbnb where they were staying.
Two days later, on March 19, Spanish authorities confirmed that divers recovered his body from the sea near Barcelona’s Somorrostro area.
An autopsy confirmed Gracey died from drowning after falling into the water, Giselle Macedo of El Periódico de Catalunya said.
Authorities also reported his body had bruises consistent with repeatedly striking rocks for hours.
Barcelona police investigators said surveillance video showed Gracey falling into the sea from the breakwater between Somorrostro Beach and Port Olímpic. The surveillance video supported their conclusion that Gracey’s death was a tragic accident, El Periódico de Catalunya reported on March 20.
The surveillance video has not been released publicly.
The footage initially showed Gracey talking with someone, but investigators later saw him “walking alone” toward the water, according to El Periódico de Catalunya’s report.
Gracey’s death has been ruled accidental, and police will not pursue any criminal charges.
