James “Jimmy” Gracey is still missing in Barcelona, and just as the search intensifies, his family has revealed a disturbing update.
The 20-year-old University of Alabama student’s phone has reportedly been recovered — not by chance, but after Spanish police detained an individual, raising serious new questions about what may have happened the night he vanished.
The search for James “Jimmy” Gracey is taking a troubling turn.
The 20-year-old was last seen around 3 a.m. Tuesday on surveillance footage leaving a popular nightclub in Barcelona — not alone, but with an unidentified person after a night out with fraternity brothers.
In a chilling development, his phone was recovered by Spanish police after another person was taken into custody, a family spokesperson told Fox News.
However, it’s still unclear whether the arrest is directly connected to Gracey’s disappearance.
“We don’t know whether [the phone] was lost, stolen, whatever,” his aunt, Beth O’Reilly, told NewsNation. “Beyond that, we don’t have a lot of additional information right now.”
Authorities have remained tight-lipped, declining to share details about the person found with the phone or whether they are linked to the case.
Investigators are now analyzing the device’s location data in an effort to retrace Gracey’s movements after he left the club.
Another chilling update emerged Thursday from Spanish police in the search for Gracey. Authorities say the missing 20-year-old’s wallet was found floating in the water off the coast of Barcelona.
Police confirmed that his wallet had been recovered from the sea near Somorrostro Beach — a development that has intensified concerns about what may have happened after he disappeared.
Never made it back
Search teams, including maritime and dive units, have been focusing on the area where the wallet was discovered, combing the waters and nearby shoreline as the investigation continues.
Gracey, a student at the University of Alabama, had just arrived in Barcelona from Amsterdam hours before he vanished. After becoming separated from friends at the well-known Shôko nightclub, he never made it back to his Airbnb on Ronda de Sant Pere.
Surveillance footage showing him leaving with a stranger has fueled growing fears that foul play may be involved.
Back home, his friends are refusing to lose hope.
“We’re not going to give up. We’re going to keep looking for him, and we’re waiting for him to come to us safe,” said Cavin McLay, president of his fraternity.
