A 20-year-old University of Alabama student has been missing in Barcelona, Spain, since the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 17, 2026, after becoming separated from friends outside a nightclub in the city’s waterfront district. James “Jimmy” Gracey, a junior from Elmhurst, Illinois, was last seen around 3 a.m. local time near the Shoko nightclub in Barcelona’s Port Olímpic area, according to CNN.
Gracey had been visiting friends studying abroad during his spring break. About 10 members of his fraternity, Theta Chi, were in Barcelona at the time, according to the chapter’s president, Cavin McLay. McLay told NBC News that Gracey was with the group at the club before he became separated from them — the last time any of them saw him.
When last seen, Gracey was wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants believed to be joggers, and a gold chain with a rhinestone cross. He is described as approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 175 pounds. His parents, Taras and Therese Gracey, provided a statement to NBC News pleading for any information about their son’s whereabouts.
The search took a troubling turn when police recovered Gracey’s wallet floating in the sea near Somorrostro beach on Wednesday, as ABC7 Chicago reported. The discovery has intensified the investigation’s focus on the Mediterranean coastline adjacent to the nightclub district. A press officer with the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police force, confirmed that part of the search is now centered on the sea, with boats, divers, and drones deployed in the effort.
Gracey’s mother, Therese Marren Gracey, wrote in a Facebook post that police have her son’s phone but that he never made it back to the Airbnb where he had been staying, according to CBS News Chicago. The Shoko nightclub confirmed to the outlet that it provided security video from the night Gracey was last seen to local law enforcement.
A potentially significant lead emerged from Spanish media. El Periódico, a Barcelona newspaper, reported that police reviewed CCTV footage and believe Gracey did not leave the club alone but was seen with another person. Authorities have not publicly commented on the identity or role of that individual.
Both the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana, Barcelona’s city police, are involved in the investigation, according to ABC News. Gracey’s father, Taras Gracey, has traveled to Barcelona to assist in the search and coordinate with local authorities on the ground.
Back in the United States, the case has drawn attention from elected officials and federal agencies. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin confirmed he has been in touch with the Gracey family, according to CBS News Chicago’s search coverage. The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying it stands ready to provide consular assistance and that the family is already receiving support from the department.
Gracey is an accounting major at the University of Alabama and serves as chaplain and philanthropy chairman of his Theta Chi chapter. He is the eldest of five siblings, according to his uncle David Gracey, who is a CNN senior producer based in Washington, D.C. The young man graduated from Saint Ignatius College Prep on Chicago’s Near West Side before heading to Tuscaloosa for college.
The University of Alabama confirmed that Gracey was on a personal trip unaffiliated with the school and that staff members are in contact with the family to offer support and assistance. Gracey had a flight booked for Saturday to return to the United States, according to his uncle.
The disappearance has shaken the tight-knit community in Elmhurst, the Chicago suburb where Gracey grew up, as well as the university campus in Alabama. Friends and family have taken to social media to share his photo and description, urging anyone with information to contact local authorities or the U.S. Embassy in Madrid.
As the search stretches into its second day, the discovery of Gracey’s wallet in the water and the CCTV footage showing him with an unidentified person remain the most concrete pieces of evidence investigators have disclosed. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the Mossos d’Esquadra or the nearest U.S. consular office in Barcelona.
