Disappearance of James Gracey

On March 17, 2026, James Paul Gracey, a 20 year old student at the University of Alabama, was reported missing in Barcelona, Spain. He was visiting friends in the city during his spring break when he disappeared after an evening out. Police suspect the disappearance is the result of foul play.

Background

James Paul Gracey is originally from the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, Illinois and described as 6'1" and 175 pounds. He was a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and lived with his parents and four siblings. At University of Alabama, he was a honors Accounting major and member of the Theta Chi fraternity where he was the chapters chaplain and philanthropy chairman. Gracey was staying near the Ronda de Sant Pere through AirBnb.

Disappearance

Gracey had flown to Barcelona to visit friends that were studying abroad and had arrived the morning before he went missing. He was last seen by a friend at around 3:00 local time on March 17 outside Barcelona's Shoko club near Port Olímpic and the Villa Olimpica area of Barceloneta Beach, after Gracey joined friends and had become separated from the group. Gracey was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants, and a gold chain with a rhinestone cross. His friends later reported that they had not had any encounters that would concern them for their or his safety at the club and had hoped that he had just lost his phone and would rejoin them later. Security footage shows Gracey leaving the club with an unknown individual and a witness told Catalan police that Gracey was heading towards the beach when they last saw him.