A New York banker who mysteriously died in Spainmade a panicked final phone call to his family moments before disappearing.
Grant Barr, 37, disappeared during a trip to Estepona, a popular beach resort in southern Spain, on January 28.
He was burnt out, exhausted from his grueling role as a high flyer in Manhattan, and had recently broken up with his girlfriend, his family tells Daily Mail.
Barr had gone to Europe to relax and unplug - but fell tragically deeper into a spiral that his grieving family are still trying to make sense of.
At 3pm on January 28, a bizarre phone call to his brother left the family so worried that they hopped on a plane.
By the time they got to Spain, Grant had vanished.
It wasn't until April 4 - nearly three months later - that they were finally told what had happened.
Grant Barr, 37, vanished while on vacation in Spain in January. His body was found in March
A body had been pulled from the water and DNA proved it to be that of their son. He'd been found a month earlier, but Spanish authorities didn't make a positive ID despite the family reporting Grant missing in January.
Now, they are demanding answers from the European authorities.
James, 41, says the family has had to most of the investigative work themselves.
Beyond being told that his brother drowned, he is still in the dark when it comes to his final moments.
'It was 3pm here so about 9pm there... he called me and he was in a panic.He said, "James - I'm in trouble. I need help - they're after me,"' James said of the January 28 phone call.
'I was like, "who's after you?! Who?"' He said he was running through the woods... and I think that was the last time anyone spoke to him.'
James, who lives in New Jersey with the rest of the family, flew to Spain immediately.
Their parents joined him, and the search began.
They interviewed locals and pounded the sidewalks looking for answers, but learned nothing.
Barr, 37, disappeared on January 28 while visiting Estepona, in southern Spain
Grant was burnt out, exhausted from his grueling role as a high flyer in Manhattan, and had recently broken up with his girlfriend, his family tells Daily Mail
How Grant ended up in the water remains a mystery. A keen sailor, he was accustomed to the ocean and was a competent swimmer
On February 18, a local came forward to say he had found Grant's passport but the police response was underwhelming.
'The police really treated it more like a lost and found and that was kind of the first time that I realized that we're dealing with a very different system and a very different.
'I was like, you got at least follow up on it,' James said.
The family returned to Spain hoping for answers, but were again left in the dark.
While James and his mother walked 'miles' in search of him, his father rooted himself in the port, hoping to catch a glimpse of his son.
'He sat there all day long with a coffee, just waiting to see if Grant walked by,' he said.
How Grant ended up in the water remains a mystery.
A keen sailor, he was accustomed to the ocean and was a competent swimmer.
His brother fears he may have been caught in a rip tide, worsened by stormy weather.
Spanish police are yet to confirm exactly what happened. Grant's body has since been returned to his family for burial.
