Drugging Not Ruled Out in Death of Alabama Student in Barcelona
While evidence points to an “accidental death” of Jimmy Gracey, a student at the University of Alabama in Spain, authorities also privately suspect that he may have been under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of the two when he drowned.
Investigators believe Gracey, 20, headed into the water off Port Olímpic and fell in while intoxicated, a source in Barcelona told Fox News Digital, but they are not yet sure enough to close the case with autopsy and toxicology results pending.
Whether Gracey ingested drugs himself or was slipped a substance is a matter of speculation at this point. He was at a popular nightclub with friends hours before his death.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force, said authorities believed Gracey’s death was accidental, but did not provide specific details about her final moments.
Police declined to confirm a Spanish newspaper report that investigators had obtained video showing Gracey falling into the water.
“We will not comment on other information that may have appeared in the media,” the spokesperson told Fox Digital.
Gracey’s wallet, which was found floating nearby, was recovered, with her cash, credit cards and ID inside, the outlet also reported.
A man was also arrested for taking Gracey’s phone. However, the source also “shed new light” on the matter, Fox reported, saying the suspect may have just found the phone on the street and picked it up.
The police apparently cleared his account, even though the man had a history of theft. They don’t believe he had direct contact with Gracey.
Gracey went missing after his friends last saw him at the club early in the morning on Tuesday. He was seen talking to a brown-haired American woman, according to local reports.
When the young man failed to return to their short-term rental, about three kilometers away in Ronda de Sant Pere, his friends reported him missing.
He was last seen walking towards the rocky coast near the seaside club.
The student’s body was found Thursday nearby, in 13 feet of deep water, 500 feet from the Shôko nightclub. Gracey was seen heading out around 3am.
Gracey had traveled to the Spanish city to visit friends who were studying abroad. He was the chaplain of the Alpha Phi chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times bestselling true-crime novel House of secrets and nine other mystery novels and non-fiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
