Authorities found the body of missing 22-year-old University of Missouri student Riley Strain in the Cumberland River on March 22. He went missing in Nashville on March 8 after visiting several bars. The official coroner’s report found no signs of foul play. However, the state in which his body was found left his family with more questions. He had no water in his lungs and was missing his pants, boots, and wallet when found.
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Chris Dingman, a family friend recently spoke to NewsNation about Strain’s disappearance and his family’s reaction to the discovery of his body. In the interview, he noted that his family finds the state in which he was found suspicious.
[RELATED: Family of Riley Strain Raises Questions About His Last Moments After Autopsy Report]
Riley Strain’s Body Raises Questions
“The only thing that was found on him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Dingman said. As a result, the family has requested a second autopsy in hopes of finding more answers. “The family deserves more answers than we have,” Dingman added.
First and foremost, the family is confused by the fact that Strain had no water in his lungs. As Dingman pointed out in the interview, “Usually, water in the lungs means that they were alive when they went into the water.” The lack of water in the lungs signals that Strain may have been dead when he entered the river. However, that isn’t always the case.
According to News Channel 5, the Medical Examiner stated that “a person struggling to breathe underwater can have a throat spasm that shuts off their airway. When this happens, no water gets into the lungs and it’s known as dry drowning.”
Additionally, reports state that Strain was wearing cowboy boots and jeans the night he went missing. When authorities found him, he was missing his pants and his boots. The family finds this fact suspicious as well.
Dingman went on to say that the family believes that individuals who stay in a homeless encampment near where authorities found Strain’s body could have more answers about what happened to him. “I think there’s somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night,” he said.
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