The death of James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old University of Alabama student who disappeared in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this week, appears to have been an accident, according to local authorities.

The Illinois native was reported missing on March 17 when he didn’t return after a late night out with friends. Two days later, the Catalan police force (Mossos d’Esquadra) confirmed his body was found in the water at Somorrostro beach, just in front of the club where he was last seen.

The police force told USA TODAY in a March 20 statement that Gracey appeared to have died from accidental drowning. Security cameras from the same morning he went missing captured the student walking alone toward the beach’s pier before falling in, reported Spanish newspaper El País.

Police do not suspect foul play but are awaiting autopsy results.

“Jimmy was a deeply loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend, and our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss,” Gracey’s family said in a March 19 statement on Facebook. “We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people around the world – so many helped to share Jimmy’s story and bring his life to light so that others may know him.”

What we know about Jimmy Gracey’s disappearance

Gracey, a junior set to graduate from the University of Alabama next year, was visiting friends who were studying abroad in Barcelona for spring break, his mother, Therese Marren Gracey, said in a social media post. He went out the night of March 16 to Shôko, a club in Barceloneta Beach, where he was last seen alive by a friend around 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 17. He never made it back to the Airbnb where he was staying and was reported missing later the same day.

In a statement shared with USA TODAY on March 19, the university said that the community was “heartbroken” and that Gracey’s loss was “deeply felt across our campus.”

Gracey’s fraternity, Theta Chi, said Jimmy “always went out of his way for anyone who needed him, whether that was guidance in their faith, a shoulder to lean on or simply someone to share a smile and laugh with.”

“I can say without hesitation that I am a better person for having known him,” fraternity chapter President Cavin McLay said in a March 19 statement.

The University of Alabama, Theta Chi and the Gracey family have all asked for privacy in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“Thank you for respecting our privacy and holding our family in your thoughts and prayers,” the Gracey family said. “We will share updates if and when we’re able.”