A fraternity brother of James Paul Gracey, a University of Alabama student who recently went missing, recounted their final moments together at a Barcelona nightclub. The 20-year-old, known as Jimmy, vanished during a spring break trip to Spain.
Gracey was enjoying a night out with friends when he became separated from his group at the renowned Shocko club early Tuesday morning. “Sadly, he lost contact with us later that night, and we haven’t heard from him since,” Cavin McLay shared with WBMA on Wednesday.
Both Gracey and McLay are members of the Theta Chi fraternity at the University of Alabama. Their friendship began as freshmen when they joined the fraternity together, as reported by WVTM.
Originally from Elmhurst, Illinois, Gracey is majoring in accounting. Alarm was raised when he didn’t return to the Airbnb where he was staying.
Surveillance cameras captured the junior leaving the trendy nightclub with an unknown individual around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a journalist from the Spanish newspaper El Periódico, who spoke with CBS 42.
The junior was seen on surveillance footage leaving the hip nightclub with an unidentified person at around 3 a.m. Tuesday, a reporter for the Spanish newspaper El Periódico told CBS 42.
That footage led police to suspect somebody might be involved in Gracey’s disappearance.
McLay described his missing “brother” as a “great person, a man of upstanding character. One of those people that’s there for anyone when they ever need it,” he told WVTM.
In October, Gracey was elected to serve as the chaplain of the fraternity’s executive board, saying he was looking forward to “leading with integrity, promoting a values-based culture and supporting the personal and spiritual growth of the chapter,” according to his LinkedIn.
“He serves as a mentor for our younger guys and guides our brothers on their journey with their faith,” McLay told the outlet. “And he also serves as one of our philanthropy chairmen and devotes his time to giving back to others.”
Since his disappearance, the group of friends has come together with Gracey’s family, helping in the search for the college student.
“They’re out on the beach right now handing out flyers just getting as many eyes as we possibly can looking out for him,” McLay said.
“It’s tough. We’re doing everything we can to keep our heads up and remain hopeful that we find him safe, but it’s a tough time. And, you know, we’re scared,” McLay said.
“His dad landed here this morning. We’ve been working closely with local authorities and Sen. (Katie) Britt’s office, the State Department, US embassy here in Barcelona.”
Catalonia police have opened an investigation into Gracey’s disappearance, revealing his phone was recovered by officials.
“We went into the station, and they told us that they had his phone,” McLay told WBMA.
