Riley Strain went missing on March 8 in Nashville after being escorted out of Luke Bryan’s downtown bar. A desperate two-week search ended in tragedy on March 22, when a nearby worker found the 22-year-old University of Missouri student’s body in the Cumberland River. While police do not suspect foul play, Strain’s devastated family isn’t so sure.
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[RELATED: Nashville Mourns the Tragic Death of Riley Strain in a Special Way]
Riley Strain’s Family Asked For Another Autopsy
Preliminary autopsy reports from the Metropolitan Nashville police point to Strain’s death being accidental. The finance major texted his friends he was headed back to their hotel after being asked to leave Bryan’s 32 Bridge bar.
His body was discovered about 8 miles from where he was last seen. Strain was wearing only his shirt and watch, family friend Chris Dingman told News Nation Now.
The grieving family scrutinized pictures taken that night of Strain and his Delta Chi fraternity brothers. The college students were visiting Nashville for a spring formal and doing a local bar tour.
In those pictures, Strain’s wallet was reportedly visible in his front pocket. He was also wearing Justins, a square-nose-style cowboy boot.
Neither the boots nor the wallet were recovered. Strain’s pants were also missing, which gave the family pause.
Dingman said the family sought a second autopsy from a private, independent company. The results were similar to Metro Nashville’s, “with no obvious signs of trauma as in weapons, guns or knives.”
Strain’s family is still grappling for more answers — for example, the lack of water in his lungs. This could indicate that Strain died before he entered the river.
“Usually, water in the lungs means that they were alive when they went into the water,” Dingman said.
Stepfather Says Riley Strain Did Not Sound Intoxicated
Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told NBC News that the Mizzou student FaceTimed his mother between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. the night he went missing.
At the time, Strain was at Garth Brooks’ nearby establishment, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk. He also mentioned visiting Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa earlier in the evening.
“He didn’t even sound like he had been drinking a lot,” Whiteid said.
Records from 32 Bridge showed that Strain purchased one alcoholic beverage and two glasses of water. Bar staff has not elaborated on the conduct that led to Strain’s removal.
Police Are Still Investigating
The investigation into Strain’s death remains open. Police still need to question members of a nearby homeless camp, according to the New York Post.
An unidentified homeless man told a Nashville news station that he saw a “very, very, very intoxicated” Strain along his last known path. The man said Strain “almost fell over” the edge of a trail into the river about 10 p.m. the night he disappeared.
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