While evidence points to an “accidental death” of University of Alabama student Jimmy Gracey in Spain, authorities also suspect privately he may have been under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of both when he drowned.
Investigators believe Gracey, 20, walked toward the water off Port Olímpic and fell in while intoxicated, a source in Barcelona told Fox News Digital, but they’re not certain enough to close the case yet with autopsy and toxicology results pending.
Whether Gracey ingested drugs himself or was slipped a substance is a matter of speculation at this point. He was at a popular nightclub with friends in the hours before his death.
Friday, a spokesperson for Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, said authorities believed Gracey’s death to be accidental but stopped short of releasing specific details about his final moments.
Police have declined to confirm a report from a Spanish newspaper that investigators had obtained video showing Gracey falling into the water.
“We will not comment on other reports that may have appeared in the media,” the spokesperson told Fox Digital.
Gracey’s wallet, which was found floating nearby, was recovered, with his cash, credit cards and identification inside, the news outlet also reported.
A man was also arrested for pocketing Gracey’s phone. However, the source also “shed new light” on that, Fox reported, saying the suspect is believed to have just found the phone on the street and picked it up.
Police apparently have bought his account, despite the man having a history of prior thefts. They don’t believe he had any direct contact with Gracey.
Gracey vanished after his friends last saw him in the club in the early morning hours Tuesday. He was seen talking to an American woman with brown hair, according to local reports.
When the young man failed to return to their short-term rental about two miles away in Ronda de Sant Pere, his friends reported him missing.
A person reportedly saw him last as he was walking toward the rocky coastline, close to the beachfront club.
The student’s body was found nearby Thursday in 13-foot-deep water, 500 feet away from the Shôko nightclub Gracey was seen leaving round 3 a.m.
Gracey had traveled to the Spanish city to visit friends who were studying abroad. He was the chaplain of the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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