Riley Strain found dead: Drunk Missouri student likely drowned after falling into river after being thrown out of Nashville bar for disorderly behavior while partying with visiting fraternity brothers.
‘He was my best friend in the world….’ The body of University of Missouri student Riley Strain, who went missing earlier this month after being thrown out of a Nashville bar for ‘disorderly behavior’ while on a night out with his fraternity brothers, was found Friday in a river, police said.
‘The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown,’ the Metropolitan Nashville Police wrote on X.
No foul play is suspected, but an autopsy has been scheduled. No obvious sign of trauma was indicated on the body, police stated.
‘Disorderly behavior’
A preliminary theory followed that the intoxicated 22 year old at some point on the evening falling into the Cumberland river and his body floating upstream, some 8 miles from the downtown area he was last seen in, before the macabre discovery Friday.
A worker clearing debris from the shoreline discovered a body floating in the water near 61st Avenue North around 7:30 a.m. and notified authorities.
Cops confirmed the discovered body was that of the missing 22-year-old a few hours later.
The 22 year old’s body was found exactly two weeks after the fraternity member was last seen after becoming separated from his collegial buddies after being asked to leave a downtown Nashville venue for ‘disorderly behavior.’
Surveillance video captured the young man stumbling along the street following his ouster.
Disorientated in a new town
Strain was visiting the Music City with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers when he vanished after leaving country star Luke Bryan’s honky-tonk bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, on March 8.
Over the next two weeks, authorities followed a trail of phone pings and grainy surveillance footage, including finding a bank card in his name on the shore of the river earlier this week.
The 6-foot-7 finance major purchased one alcoholic drink and two drinks of water during his visit to the watering hole, according to TC Restaurant Group — the operator and owner of Luke’s 32 Bridge.
The bar shared that security decided to throw Strain out from the nightspot based on their ‘conduct standards’ due to Strain’s behavior, escorting him from the venue through the Broadway exit at the front of the building at 9:35 p.m.
‘He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs.’
‘Very, very intoxicated…’
Strain told his friends he would meet them at their room at the Tempo by Hilton, about five blocks from the bar.
Strain never made the trip over.
Strain was captured on surveillance footage crossing Gay Street around 9:47 p.m. after leaving the bar — about a 17-minute walk from Luke’s 32 Bridge and in the opposite direction of the hotel, according to Nashville police.
He was then spotted on Nashville Police Officer Reginald Young’s bodycam while he walked down Gay Street, the department posted on X.
Young, who was in the area investigating a reported vehicle burglary, briefly interacted with Strain, asking him how he was doing, to which the Missouri senior replied: ‘Good.’
Strain did not appear to be in any distress during their short interaction according to the cop.
A local homeless man claimed he saw a ‘very, very intoxicated’ Strain almost fall over the edge of a trail into the Cumberland River.
‘He was my best friend in the world…’
Police say Strain was spotted one final time on Gay Street at 9:52 p.m. but shared that ‘No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay St. after the 9:52 p.m. timeframe.’
Strain wasn’t reported as missing until about four hours after he was escorted out of Luke’s 32 Bridge, at 1:35 a.m., when a friend returned to their hotel to find him not in the room.
His phone last pinged between 10 and 10:30 p.m. in the area of Public Square Park, located near the sheriff’s office and the Cumberland River.
A girl Strain had been romantically involved with said she texted him on the night of his disappearance ‘to see how he was doing’ on the trip.
His Delta Chi fraternity brother Chris Dingman said the girl received a bizarre ‘scripted text’ from Strain saying ‘Good lops.’
Dingman said the girl had trouble understanding what the text meant and resorted to Googling its meaning.
Strain’s fraternity brother noted that the text highlighted his friend’s mental state that night.
On March 17, police found Strain’s bank card on the embankment of the river, but the card had not been used since he went missing. Less than a few days later, the body of the missing fraternity brother was found along a river. His cause of death yet to be explained.
Stated a release from the Delta Chi Fraternity following the discovery of Strain’s body:
‘The Delta Chi Fraternity is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our esteemed fraternity brother, Riley Strain.
‘Our hearts go out to Riley’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time as we work to provide support and resources to all those affected by this tragedy.’
Riley’s parents in the days before who had expressed being frustrated with the search for their missing sign while hoping for a miracle were seen visibly upset following the news of their son’s demise, with the student’s mother saying, ‘he was my best friend in the world.’
