Body Of Missing Mizzou Student Riley Strain Found
on Mar 22, 2024
Two weeks after his disappearance, Riley Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville.
22-year-old University of Missouri student Riley Strain went missing Friday night, March 8th in Nashville. Riley Strain, a junior at the university, was in Nashville with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for their annual formal event.
He was last seen leaving Luke Bryan‘s Music City bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink just before 10 p.m. Strain’s family says that the student was kicked out of the bar after being overserved.
Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told media, “When they took [Riley] out, his friend was trying to go out with him, but they would not let him at that point.”
Riley told another friend that he planned to return to their hotel, but never made it.
In the days following his disappearance, downtown Nashville businesses released surveillance footage captured of Riley stumbling down the sidewalk, seemingly disoriented and lost. His cell phone last pinged less than a mile from the bar, between Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway.
RELATED: NEW VIDEO AND 9-1-1 CALL OFFER INSIGHT INTO RILEY STRAIN’S DISAPPEARANCE
There were unconfirmed reports of Strain wandering through homeless camps located along the river, heightening fears that he could have stumbled down the river’s steep bank.
Strain’s family traveled from Missouri to Nashville to help with the search, following in their son’s footsteps, even searching hospitals and morgues in hopes of finding some information. The Metro Nashville Police Department used boats and helicopters to scour the river, and offered extensive searches on the ground.
After two weeks of intense searching, a body was discovered Friday morning (March 22) in the Cumberland River in West Nashville. The body was discovered around 7:30 a.m.
The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed via social media that the body recovered from the river was Riley Strain.
In their post, the department wrote, “The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown.”
They added that foul play is not suspected as no “trauma was observed.” This is a developing story.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Riley Strain’s family.
