Missing US student’s body found in Barcelona

BARCELONA (AP) — Spanish authorities person recovered the assemblage of missing assemblage pupil from Illinois.

The assemblage of 20-year-old James “Jimmy” Gracey was recovered Thursday evening successful the h2o disconnected a Barcelona beach, adjacent wherever helium was past seen extracurricular a nightclub with his friends aboriginal Tuesday morning.

He ne'er returned to the country helium was renting with friends. Police recovered his telephone soon aft helium went missing. Gracey was a pupil astatine the University of Alabama, and was visiting friends successful Barcelona for a outpouring interruption trip.

Catalan constabulary accidental that their probe continues into the origin of death.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

CHICAGO (AP) — Police successful Spain searched Thursday for a assemblage pupil from Illinois reported missing this week aft a nighttime retired with friends.

Family members said James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old pupil astatine the University of Alabama, was visiting friends who are studying abroad. Gracey was past seen astatine a beachfront nightclub successful Barcelona on the Mediterranean Sea but separated from friends astir 3 a.m. connected Tuesday.

Regional Catalan constabulary said Thursday they had recovered a assemblage successful the h2o astatine astir 6 p.m. section time. Police told The Associated Press that the assemblage was recovered disconnected Barcelona’s Somorrostro beach, adjacent wherever Gracey was past reported seen.

A squad of constabulary divers recovered the assemblage but it had not been identified, determination constabulary said.

Gracey, who was wearing a achromatic garment and acheronian pants and a concatenation with a golden rhinestone cross, ne'er returned to the country helium was renting with friends, according to household members who unrecorded successful the suburb of Elmhurst, astir 19 miles (31 kilometers) westbound of Chicago.

Beth Marren O’Reilly, who is Gracey’s aunt, said helium and his friends arrived successful Barcelona connected Monday greeting to sojourn a radical of University of Alabama friends studying overseas there.

Local authorities notified Gracey’s parents that they had his phone. Originally, the household thought Gracey whitethorn person mislaid his telephone oregon been pickpocketed, but erstwhile they reached retired to his friends, they learned that Gracey wasn’t with them arsenic of aboriginal Tuesday morning.

“You support reasoning that ... you’re going to aftermath up from this and it’s a unspeakable nightmare,” O’Reilly said. “You know, you spot radical accidental this each the time. You ne'er thought it could beryllium our family. And present we are.”

O’Reilly described him arsenic a “good Catholic lad from the Midwest” and an “amazing older brother” to his 4 younger siblings. Along with his fraternity commitments, helium is successful the honors programme astatine Alabama, she said.

“He’s specified an all-around bully kid,” O’Reilly said. “And that’s wherefore we’re truthful worried. It’s just, it’s not similar him to not beryllium successful contact.”

Friends inactive successful the metropolis person begun hanging missing idiosyncratic signs showing Gracey’s photograph and details of the past clip helium was seen.

Barcelona is simply a fashionable tourer destination that brings successful millions of overseas visitors each year. It is mostly safe, particularly compared with large U.S. cities, wherever tourists’ biggest interest are usually pickpockets.

Barcelona’s beaches, located successful walking region of its center, are a main gully particularly for young visitors. The country wherever Gracey went retired is simply a agelong of formation with respective restaurants and nightclubs that are frequented by locals and foreigners.

“We are keeping Jimmy and his household astatine the forefront of our thoughts, and our unit are successful nonstop connection with the household to connection each enactment and assistance possible,” the University of Alabama said successful a connection connected Thursday.

Gracey is simply a subordinate of the Theta Chi fraternity astatine the school, and the planetary enactment said helium holds 2 positions wrong the school’s chapter.

“Since learning of his disappearance, the International Fraternity has been successful regular connection with national lawmakers, the University of Alabama, and our section members, including those who stay successful Barcelona searching tirelessly for Jimmy,” CEO Michael Mayer said.

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O’Connor reported from Springfield, Illinois, and Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press writers Suman Naishadham successful Madrid and Joseph Wilson successful Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

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