The Mossos d’Esquadra continue searching in the sea in the area of Barcelona’s Olympic port for James Gracey, the 20-year-old American who had been on vacation in the city for a few days, visiting friends, and who lost track of him early Tuesday morning. The police are working on the hypothesis that he could have fallen into the sea, and since Wednesday they have been searching for him in the area, with divers, the helicopter and the maritime police. During the operation, the agents found the young man’s wallet in the water, which further strengthens their suspicions. So far, the investigation rules out any criminal motive.
The police received a complaint on Wednesday from the young man’s friends. At the same time, his mother publicized her son’s disappearance through Facebook. Both explained that Gracey was on vacation in Barcelona, that they last saw him at dawn, in the area of the Shoko nightclub, in Vila Olímpica, where he had been with his friends, from whom he separated a little later. That same Tuesday, the Urban Police also found the young man’s phone, which was in the hands of a habitual thief in the beach area. The agents identified him, and the man explained that the phone had been found, which is why he ended up being reported. Police sources assure that they do not know if Gracey lost her cell phone or it was stolen, but, in any case, they downplay the link between the discovery of the phone and her disappearance.
Gracey’s family is aware of the investigation by the Catalan police and the efforts to find the young man, who had rented an apartment through Airbnb, where he no longer spent the night. The father maintains a direct line with investigators, according to police sources. The young man, a student at the University of Alabama, and originally from Chicago, planned to return to the United States on Saturday, according to his uncle, where he works, told CNN. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants.
