Official conclusion regarding the death of the University of Alabama student in Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain. (WBRC) – WBRC has learned the official cause of death for James Paul “Jimmy” Gracey, a University of Alabama student who died while visiting Barcelona over spring break.
Report: Body of Jimmy Gracey found in sea
Gracey was last seen on Tuesday morning, March 17 around 3 a.m. He was at a club and Gracey’s aunt, Beth Marren O’Reilly, said he somehow got separated from his friends at the night club. El Periódico de Catalunya reported Gracey’s roommates alerted police that he didn’t make it back to the Airbnb where they were staying.
EN ESPAÑOL | Encuentran el cuerpo de estudiante de la Universidad de Alabama desaparecido en España
Two days after 20-year-old Gracey was reported missing, Spanish authorities confirmed that divers recovered his body from the sea near Barcelona’s Somorrostro area on Thursday, March 19. His body did have bruises consistent with repeatedly striking rocks for hours.
Barcelona police investigators say surveillance video shows Gracey falling into the sea from the breakwater between Somorrostro Beach and Port Olímpic, supporting their conclusion that his death was a tragic accident, El Periódico de Catalunya reported Friday morning, March 20.
The surveillance video has not been released publicly.
Jimmy Gracey(Family)
The footage initially shows Gracey talking with someone, but investigators later saw him “walking alone” toward the water, according El Periódico de Catalunya’s report.
Giselle Macedo, a journalist with El Periódico de Catalunya, says that an autopsy confirmed Gracey died from drowning after falling into the water. His death has been ruled accidental, and police will not pursue any criminal charges.
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