After a two-week search for 22-year-old Riley Strain, his body has been discovered in Nashville’s Cumberland River.
On Friday March 8, University of Missouri (Mizzou) student Riley Strain went out to the bars on Broadway in Downtown Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers. They were all in Nashville for a formal event.
They were at country star Luke Bryan’s bar Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink and he was last seen by friends around 10pm when he was kicked out of the bar after the bouncers believed he had been over served. As he was being escorted out, he told his friends he would meet them back at their hotel, but he never made it there.
During a press conference on March 19, his stepfather revealed that Riley’s friend tried to go with him, but the bar didn’t allow him to.
Surveillance footage showed Riley stumbling away from the bar, and even loosing his footing at one point.
Luke Bryan Released Statement On Missing Student
Two days after Riley went missing, Bryan took to his Instagram Stories to share his restaurant’s statement, and wrote, “Y’all this is scary. Praying for his safe return.”
On March 22, Metro Nashville Police revealed they had found Riley Strain’s body.
In a post on X, they wrote, “The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown.”
BREAKING: The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown. No foul play-related trauma was observed. An autopsy is pending.
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 22, 2024
Metro Nashville PD held a press conference at 9:15am local time and revealed that at approximately 7:28am, Strain’s body was found buried under debris by a worker in the Cumberland River. Workers had been pulling debris from the river this morning.
Officials were immediately called and retrieved his body. Medical examiners confirmed it to be Riley Strain. Additionally, Riley was still wearing the black and white button down shirt he was last seen in despite a homeless man being spotted wearing a similar shirt days after Riley’s disappearance.
On Sunday (March 17), a bank card belonging to Riley Strain was found near the Cumberland River. Police confirmed that no extra charges had been made on his card.
Police also confirm that there seems to be no foul play, but will go forward with an autopsy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Riley’s family and friends during this time.