Photo: Gracey family
A body was recovered by a Catalan dive team amid the search for University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey, who went missing while on spring break in Barcelona, the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reported (h/t AL.com).
Gracey, 20, was last seen leaving the Shôko nightclub near Port Olímpic in video surveillance footage recorded at around 3:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday (March 17). The dive team located what police in Barcelona described as a "lifeless body" in waters estimated to be 13 feet deep just off the shore on Thursday (March 19) and investigators are working to identify the remains.
Gracey's family shared a statement thanking the public for their "thoughts and prayers" earlier on Thursday prior to reports of a body being found.
“We are so grateful for the kindness and concern that has been shown for our family during this incredibly difficult time. 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.”
The search was launched on Thursday morning and involved Catalan police's Aquatic and Underwater Units, as well as the Drone Unit, the department confirmed to the Spanish news outlet Elperiodico.com.