Fraternity brothers are mourning James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old University of Alabama student remembered for his servant leadership and “profound faith,” which chapter leaders said inspired others to walk with Christ.

Gracey disappeared early Tuesday during a spring break trip in Spain. His body was recovered in Barcelona Thursday after a desperate, days-long search by his fraternity brothers and local authorities.

University of Alabama Theta Chi Alpha Phi Chapter president Cavin McLay released an emotional statement Thursday night saying “there are no words to describe the pain of losing our beloved brother, Jimmy.”

“He was a man of profound faith who walked with Christ in all facets of his life, and he inspired every one of us to do the same,” McLay said. “As our Chapter Chaplain, Jimmy closed every chapter meeting in prayer, bringing us together in a way that reflected exactly who he was and how deeply he was loved and respected.”

McLay added Gracey “always went out of his way for anyone who needed him, whether that was guidance in their faith, a shoulder to lean on, or simply to share a smile and laugh with.”

“He was always asking how your day was going and thinking about the people around him,” McLay said. “His smile and attitude were infectious and such a light in our chapter. I can say without hesitation that I am a better person for having known him.”

The fraternity president described Gracey as a “role model, warrior of Christ, and the kind of man every one of us should aspire to be,” saying the Alabama brothers were blessed to have him in their lives.

“His faith inspires us to live a life sharing the love of the Lord, and his impact on this chapter and every individual within it is too great to articulate,” McLay said. “To say Jimmy will be deeply missed is an understatement. … We find comfort in the wisdom of John 16:22: ‘Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again, and you will rejoice.’”

Michael J. Mayer, chief executive officer of the Theta Chi Fraternity, emphasized that Gracey, who also served as a Philanthropy Chairman, embodied exactly what the organization aspires to build: a “Resolute Man.”

Mayer also praised the fraternity brothers who spent days searching the streets of Spain for Gracey, acknowledging that the harrowing ordeal has been “profoundly traumatic” for the young men involved.

“We are heartbroken for Jimmy’s family and ask all who loved him to join us in praying for them — not just in the days ahead, but long after the headlines have faded,” Mayer said.

Theta Chi plans to announce ways to honor Gracey’s life and legacy in the coming days.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he and his wife, Loretta, are offering their deepest condolences to the family of 20-year-old University of Alabama student James “Jimmy” Gracey, who was found dead Thursday in Barcelona, Spain.

Gracey, who was from Elmhurst, Illinois, disappeared early Tuesday during a night out with friends. His body was recovered at Port Olimpic.

“Loretta and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Jimmy Gracey, who tragically lost his life earlier this week,” Durbin wrote in a social media post. “May his memory always be a blessing.”

Don Tracy, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Illinois, added “this is every parent’s worst nightmare.”

“My most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jimmy Gracey,” Tracy wrote in an X post. “This is every parent’s worst nightmare. Wanda and I are praying for your comfort and healing. We know Jimmy was welcomed home and is at peace.”

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said she was “devastated” following the news of 20-year-old University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey’s death while traveling with friends in Barcelona, Spain.

Police confirmed Thursday that Gracey’s body was recovered at Port Olimpic following his March 17 disappearance.

“Wesley and I are devastated to hear this news,” Britt wrote in a social media post. “Please join us in praying for Jimmy’s loved ones, classmates, and the entire University of Alabama community.”

Gracey vanished at about 3 a.m. on March 17 after visiting the waterfront Shoko restaurant and nightclub in Barcelona.

While it is unclear what led to his disappearance, a family spokesperson said police found his phone during the arrest of another individual.

The Alabama Interfraternity Council released a statement mourning University of Alabama student and Theta Chi Fraternity member Jimmy Gracey after his body was recovered Thursday in Barcelona, Spain.

The council, which serves as the governing body of the university’s fraternities, said Gracey’s memory will “remain a lasting part of our community.”

“As a fraternity community, the bonds we share extend far beyond our individual chapters, and in moments like this, we stand together in support of one another,” the council wrote in a social media post. “We extend our deepest condolences to Jimmy’s family, his brothers in Theta Chi, and all who knew and loved him. His memory will remain a lasting part of our community.”

Leaders also encouraged fraternity members to “check in on one another” and utilize available support resources.

“Please continue to keep Jimmy’s loved ones in your thoughts and respect their privacy during this difficult time,” the council wrote.

Theta Chi has not commented publicly since the confirmation of Gracey’s death.

The University of Alabama said its campus is shaken following the discovery of missing student Jimmy Gracey’s body in Barcelona, Spain.

“The University of Alabama community is heartbroken to learn of the death of Jimmy Gracey,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement to Fox News. “Jimmy’s loss is deeply felt across our campus. Our condolences are with the Gracey family during this devastating time. We ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve.”

School officials said they have been in close contact with the family throughout the week and “will continue to provide support to them and to Jimmy’s friends, classmates and all members of our community who are affected by this tragedy.”

Counseling and support resources are available to students by calling UAPD at 205-348-5454, and to other members of the UA community via the Employee Assistance Program at 888-283-3515.

An overhead view at the Port Olimpic marina shows the approximate location of the recovery of the body of Jimmy Gracey in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2026.

Police recovered the body of 20-year-old University of Alabama student James Gracey in the marina between the sailboat on the left and the floating blue dock on the right around 7:15 p.m. local time.

Gracey was last seen alive around 3 a.m. on Tuesday at Shoko, a waterfront nightclub just 500 feet away.

Dive teams found human remains in the area as part of a days long search Thursday evening. A short time later, the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force overseeing the investigation, confirmed they belonged to Gracey.

Gracey and a group of classmates traveled to Europe for spring break to visit friends studying abroad in Barcelona, a city in northeast Spain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Catalan regional police, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra, confirmed Thursday they’ve recovered unidentified human remains amid a days long search for missing University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey, who was visiting the coastal Spanish city for spring break.

Efforts are underway to ID the body.

In a statement, Gracey’s family thanked supporters but did not directly address the latest development.

“We are so grateful for the kindness and concern that has been shown for our family during this incredibly difficult time,” the family said.

“We have made the decision to pause media interviews at this time to focus on being together and caring for one another. Thank you for respecting our privacy and holding our family in your thoughts and prayers. We will share updates if and when we’re able.”

Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.

When Mossos d’Esquadra police in Barcelona recovered the phone of missing University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey this week, it opened the door for valuable investigatory leads, according to Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor.

“Google, which is generally the way you go with this, the Google Maps app, they have dumped all of their geolocation stuff onto the phone,” he told Fox News’ Harris Faulkner Thursday.

That makes the recovery of the physical phone itself the best way to track Gracey’s movements from the morning he went missing, he said.

“In this instance, we have a break,” he said. “We’ve got the phone.”

A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital Wednesday that work was already underway scouring through Gracey’s recent location data.

Mossos d’Esquadra told Fox News Digital Thursday that authorities were looking at several lines of investigation, including the potential that Gracey may have drowned.

To that end, police have deployed helicopters, boats, dive teams and motorcycle units to search the waterfront.

Gracey was least seen at the waterfront nightclub Shoko around 3 a.m. Tuesday. It is next to the city’s Port Olimpic, also known as Olympic Harbor, a major marina.

The search for missing University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey is ramping up in Barcelona, where authorities say they’ve deployed aerial, maritime and motorcycle units while looking down multiple investigative paths — including the possibility that he may have drowned, according to Mossos d’Esquadra, Barcelona’s police force.

They are leading the investigation out of the city’s upscale Eixample district.

Officials have declined to confirm or deny key details that have surfaced in local reporting from some of Spain’s leading newspapers, including whether Gracey’s phone or wallet has been recovered or whether any arrests have been made.

The family told Fox News Digital previously that his phone had been recovered during the arrest of a third-party individual, but it’s not immediately clear that his possession of Gracey’s phone is connected to the disappearance.

Separately, La Vanguardia reported that Gracey’s wallet had been recovered from the water.

The Illinois native was last seen around 3 a.m. at Shoko, a waterfront nightclub next to the city’s Port Olimpica.

Police acknowledged that some details circulating publicly may ultimately prove accurate, but said they are withholding confirmation until they have a clearer understanding of what happened.

Authorities say they are actively pursuing several lines of investigation. One of those includes the possibility that Gracey entered the water and drowned, which police confirmed is among the working hypotheses.

On Wednesday, Mossos d’Esquadra activated helicopter and subaquatic units. Today, they rolled out their motorcycle unit and dive teams.

Conditions in the water are making the search especially difficult. Divers involved in the operation told Fox News Digital Thursday they were working under extremely poor visibility, saying they can see only about 40 centimeters — roughly 16 inches — in front of them.

Solly Boussidan contributed to this report.

The marine unit of Mossos d’Esquadra, Barcelona’s police force, deployed along the Mediterranean coast Thursday amid the ongoing search for missing University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey.

The 20-year-old, originally from Illinois, was last seen around 3 a.m. Tuesday at Shoko, a waterfront nightclub near the city’s Port Olimpic.

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A family spokesperson told Fox News Digital that authorities recovered his phone from the arrest of a third-party individual. Authorities have released little information regarding that person, and it’s not immediately clear that his possession of the phone is connected to Gracey’s disappearance.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA STUDENT JAMES GRACEY DISAPPEARS IN BARCELONA AFTER VISITING FRIENDS STUDYING ABROAD

After Gracey failed to return to the Airbnb he’d rented with friends on a spring break trip, they reported him missing around 1 a.m. local time Wednesday, authorities said.

“Today the maritime and underwater unit has been activated to search,” police said in a statement.

While Gracey’s whereabouts remain unknown, police did recover his wallet from the water, according to La Vanguardia, a leading newspaper in Barcelona.

Fox News’ Garrett Tenney contributed to this report.

Aquatic and drone searches are underway in Barcelona on Thursday for missing University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey, according to media reports.

Sources from local police told the El Periódico newspaper on Thursday that a search was launched at sea Thursday morning with the deployment of aquatic and underwater units. A drone unit also has been deployed, the sources added.

Police also found Gracey’s wallet floating in the water near Somorrostro beach, according to WLS.

James “Jimmy” Gracey, of Elmhurst, Illinois, was last seen around 3 a.m. after visiting the waterfront Shoko restaurant and nightclub on March 17, his mother, Therese Gracey, wrote in a Facebook post.

Local police carried out a search in the waters near that area on Wednesday but had “negative results,” a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Cavin McLay, the president of the University of Alabama’s Theta Chi fraternity, told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that he has a message for missing student James “Jimmy” Gracey.

“I tell him to keep fighting, that 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,” McLay said.

“Jimmy’s a great guy, upstanding character,” McLay added. “He serves as a mentor in our chapter to a lot of the younger guys. He is currently our chaplain, so he guides a lot of our brothers on their journey in their faith. we’re heartbroken, but we’re keeping our heads held high and remaining hopeful.”

McLay said he was not with Gracey the night he went missing but was told there was “nothing out of the ordinary, either internally or externally.” He said local authorities in Barcelona have been helpful as the search continues.

“They’re being very helpful. Local authorities are working with us diligently,” he said. “They’re sending out their search teams everywhere they can, and they’re updating us as often as they possibly can.”

McLay also said he’s spoken with Gracey’s family, who “just want to extend their thanks and their gratefulness for the community that we have and for everyone sharing the story and getting the awareness out there, and for everyone that’s on the ground here in Barcelona looking for him.”

A 20-year-old University of Alabama student from the Chicago area is missing from a spring break trip to visit friends studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, according to his family.

James “Jimmy” Gracey, of Elmhurst, Illinois, was last seen around 3 a.m. after visiting the waterfront Shoko restaurant and nightclub on March 17, his mother, Therese Gracey, wrote in a Facebook post.

“He was with friends, but they got separated at the end of the night,” she added. “They’re all out looking for him.”

He is also believed to have been talking to a brown-haired American female around the time he was last seen.

Police have recovered his phone during the arrest of another individual, said Noreen Heron, a family spokesperson.

A law enforcement source in Barcelona declined to discuss the suspect arrested in possession of Gracey’s phone but confirmed to Fox News Digital that investigators are now looking through the phone’s recent location history in an attempt to locate Gracey.

He said investigators are looking into people he interacted with. They’re going back and forth with witnesses. And they’re looking into cameras from the area where Gracey was the night he disappeared.

Cavin McLay, the president of Alabama’s Theta Chi fraternity and a friend of Gracey’s who also made the trip to Spain, told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the missing classmate is the chapter’s chaplain and philanthropy chairman and is known for mentoring younger brothers and giving back to others.

“We’re keeping our heads up and remaining hopeful that we find him safe,” he said.