Riley Strain’s autopsy report was revealed on June 18, months after the body of the missing University of Missouri student was discovered. The 22-year-old went missing in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 8th. Strain’s corpse was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, roughly eight miles from downtown, after a long search, according to a statement released on March 22 by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. According to his autopsy report, Strain “died as a result of drowning and ethanol intoxication.” There were no symptoms of external injuries on his body. Here’s a synopsis of what occurred to Riley Strain.
When did Riley Strain disappear?
Strain disappeared after being ordered to leave Luke Bryan’s Nashville pub, Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, on March 8. He had been at the pub on a fraternity vacation for a spring formal. Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told NBC News that Strain visited two bars before being ejected from Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink. Strain FaceTimed his mother between 7:30 and 8 p.m. that night at Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, according to Whiteid. Strain also visited Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa that evening.
What happened to Riley Strain?
In a March 15 statement, Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink stated that “based on our conduct standards,” Strain was removed by security at 9:35 p.m. on the night of his disappearance. The corporation did not explain what Strain had done to be removed.
According to the bar’s owners, Strain was led out by the Broadway exit in the front of the building. According to the statement, Strain was accompanied down the stairs by a companion, who did not depart with him and returned upstairs.
Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink stated that it had cooperated with investigators by providing “all security camera footage, photos of Riley at our establishment with detailed time stamps, transaction records, and staff accounts.” When Strain’s fraternity brothers returned to the Tempo Hotel, less than a mile from the pub, they discovered Strain’s room key but no trace of him. Strain’s parents informed WSMV that when they tried to reach him, his phone had died. The students searched for Strain for hours, hoping to locate him using his Snapchat whereabouts. Finally, they called Strain’s parents in Springfield, Missouri, to let them know he was missing. Strain’s parents immediately drove from their Springfield home to Nashville. “We talk every day, multiple times a day,” Michelle Whiteid told WSMV. “This is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him.”
Riley Strain’s university and fraternity members speak out:
The University of Missouri announced in a news release on March 12 that school officials learned over the weekend that Strain had gone missing while traveling to Nashville for “a private event.” The school stated that it has communicated with Strain’s family and Nashville authorities and provided counseling resources to members of the MU community. Strain’s fraternity, Delta Chi, also stated on March 12 that it was aware of Strain’s disappearance and that the fraternity was “actively engaged” with university officials. “Delta Chi is hopeful for Riley’s safe return; our thoughts are with his family and the members of the Missouri Chapter during this time,” the group stated.