A 20-year-old University of Alabama student from the Chicago area has gone missing while on a spring break trip to visit friends studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, according to his family.
James โJimmyโ Gracey, a native of Elmhurst, Illinois, was last seen around 3 a.m. on March 17 after spending time at the waterfront Shoko restaurant and nightclub, his mother, Therese Gracey, shared in a Facebook post.

โHe was with friends, but they got separated at the end of the night,โ she added perย Fox News. โTheyโre all out looking for him.โ โHe was wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants (probably joggers),โ his mother added. โHe wears a gold chain with a rhinestone cross on it.โ
Authorities have recovered Jimmy Graceyโs cellphone following the arrest of another individual, according to family spokesperson Noreen Heron. However, the 20-year-old never arrived at the Airbnb on Ronda de Sant Pere โ a central avenue in Barcelona โ where he had planned to stay with friends during his spring break trip to Spain.
Gracey had traveled overseas to visit friends studying abroad, but vanished in the early morning hours after a night out. Just one day earlier, and less than half a mile away near Port Olรญmpic, a female tourist from Hungary reported being robbed of her gold chain by a suspect on a motorized scooter, described in aย Facebook postย as โa dark-skinned man wearing all black,โ according toย Fox News.
His father, Taras Gracey, has since flown to Spain and is working closely with local authorities, including Catalan police, as the search continues. Investigators have also obtained surveillance footage tied to the case, Spanish newspaper El Periรณdico reported.
Meanwhile, the family is in contact with officials from the U.S. State Department as efforts intensify to locate the missing student.
According to a missing persons flyer, Gracey is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds.




