The young American man who went missing in Barcelona's Olympic Village has been found dead at sea.

BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) found the body of James Gracey, a 20-year-old American man who disappeared on Wednesday in Barcelona, ​​on Thursday. Police located the body in the Somorrostro area. The young man, a student at the University of Alabama, was last seen early Wednesday morning at a nightclub in the Olympic Village. On Thursday morning, police found his wallet floating in the water. They also found some clothing items, such as underwear, in this area of ​​the seafront, which are being examined to see if they belonged to him. Finally, his body was found on the seabed. The young man, originally from a town near Chicago, was visiting the Catalan capital to meet up with friends. On Tuesday night, he went out partying in the seafront area and, around 3:00 a.m., he was at a nightclub on the seafront when he separated from the group. He did not return to his Airbnb accommodation, nor did he make any further contact. The family had already filed a missing person report, and his father, a lawyer, had traveled to Barcelona to assist in the search. His mother had also appealed for help through social media. This Thursday, before the tragic discovery, they had put up several posters around the city about his disappearance.

According to sources consulted by this newspaper, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) also have the young man's cell phone. It was being carried by a man who was arrested that night by the city's Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's municipal police). The man, who has a criminal record and is known to the police for petty theft, explained that he had found the phone on the ground by the sea, very close to where the wallet was found floating. For now, the Mossos are giving credence to his story and have not arrested him. In fact, the man was able to pinpoint exactly where he had found the phone.

In fact, the police are now focusing on analyzing security camera footage from the nightclub and the surrounding area to try to determine whether the young man left alone or with someone and where he went. For now, it is not considered a criminal disappearance, and the leading hypothesis is that it was a fatal accident. However, the reconstruction of his route using security camera footage, as well as the autopsy, which will determine the cause of death, will be key factors in how the investigation progresses.

In November 2022, a 24-year-old man of Australian origin also disappeared.Levi Davis. The main police hypothesis is that he also drowned in the early hours of the morning in the sea off Barcelona. He was last seen at the Hard Rock Café, although the last signal from his mobile phone was in the city's port. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) carried out several searches at sea, but his body has never been found.