The University of Missouri student who disappeared after leaving a downtown Nashville bar two weeks ago has been found deceased in the Cumberland River, as confirmed by the police on Friday. No signs of foul play were evident.
Riley Strain, aged 22, was visiting the Tennessee city for the weekend when he was reportedly ejected from Luke’s 32 Bridge, the bar owned by country singer Luke Bryan, on March 8, according to authorities.
Despite relentless efforts by Strain’s loved ones and law enforcement, he remained unreachable following his disappearance, and previous search attempts by the police yielded no results.
Metro Nashville Police Department Police Chief John Drake announced on Friday that Strain’s body was discovered around 7:30 a.m. local time after being sighted by a worker in the vicinity.
“There is no other evidence to suggest anything other than” the young man falling into the river, Drake said.
In a statement on Friday, University of Missouri President Mun Choi notified students and staff of Strain’s body being discovered. He also assured the availability of counseling and support services for those in need.
“As the Mizzou community mourns Riley, we are keeping his family in our thoughts and offering support,” Choi said.
Police Chief John Drake stated that the medical examiner’s office confirmed the body as Strain’s, with a shirt, a watch, and other identifying factors aiding in the identification process. An autopsy was pending, and Strain’s family had been notified.
The body was retrieved from the river approximately 8 miles from downtown, according to the police.
Drake mentioned that law enforcement had intended to conduct a search in the area where the body was discovered on Friday morning.
“We have reports that, normally, under these circumstances, with his height and weight, that he could have surfaced between 14 and 20 days. This is the 14th day, so we were really expecting anytime soon to find him,” Drake said.
“So we were in the right spot. It’s just unfortunate,” the chief added.
According to a social media post by the police department, Strain was last seen on Gay Street at 9:52 p.m. on March 8 after consuming alcohol downtown.
“The bartender said he had been overserved,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told. “He was trying to pay his tab.”
Nashville police revealed on Sunday that Strain’s bank card had been discovered on an embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River.
On Monday, the department made public the bodycam footage capturing an encounter Strain had with Officer Reginald Young on the night he went missing.
The video depicted Strain exchanging brief greetings with Officer Young on Gay Street, south of the Woodland Street bridge, as stated by the department.
“Riley did not appear distressed. Officer Young was there on a vehicle burglary call and remained on that portion of Gay Street for 45 minutes. No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay Street after the 9:52 p.m. timeframe,” according to the social media post.
Prior to this, the police had disclosed surveillance footage depicting Strain wearing a two-tone shirt and crossing a street at 9:47 p.m. Ground and helicopter searches were conducted in the vicinity.
Although Strain’s cell phone was powered off during the search efforts, Verizon Wireless indicated that the phone’s last known location was within a mile of a cell tower situated at 19 Oldham Street, as detailed in a police report. Despite searching the area, law enforcement reported no success in locating him.
