The investigation into the death of Jimmy Gracey, the 20-year-old American man who disappeared this week in Barcelona, suggests that he died after accidentally falling into the sea. The initial tests and the preliminary report prepared by the investigators rule out, for the moment, the existence of signs of a violent death.
Gracey was last seen around 3:00 AM on Tuesday when leaving the Shoko nightclub, located in the Port Olímpic area. Days later, his body was located in the water, at about four meters deep, in the vicinity of Somorrostro beach.
According to the initial conclusions of the Mossos d'Esquadra, everything indicates that the young man would have fallen into the sea accidentally and died drowned. The exact cause will be determined when the forensic analyses and the definitive autopsy report are completed.
The case is being processed by the duty court of Barcelona, which keeps proceedings open pending receipt of the full report. Among other questions, investigators hope to find out if the student consumed alcohol or drugs in the hours prior to his disappearance.
The Catalan police found the young man's body on Thursday afternoon after several days of searching in the maritime area near the place where he was last seen. During the search operations, officers had previously found his submerged wallet, which reinforced the hypothesis that he could be in the sea.
To reconstruct what happened, investigators have analyzed testimonies and reviewed security cameras from the surroundings. One of these recordings would have captured the moment the young man fell into the water, which supports the main line of investigation.
The disappearance and subsequent discovery of the body generated great media attention, especially in the United States. After the discovery, the body will be handed over to the family once the forensic analyses are concluded, for its subsequent transfer to the North American country.
