The two-week search for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain has come to a tragic end, as his body was discovered in the Cumberland River in West Nashville on Friday morning, approximately eight miles from downtown. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed that no foul play-related trauma was observed on the 22-year-old's body, and an autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death.
According to Police Chief John Drake, officers received a call around 7:28 a.m. from an employee at a nearby business who reported finding Strain's body after removing an object from the river. The city's fire department responded to the scene and pulled the body from the water, with the medical examiner's office later confirming the identity as Riley Strain.
Strain was last seen on Friday, March 8, when he was asked to leave Luke Bryan's bar, Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink, in downtown Nashville. He was visiting the city with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers for a spring formal trip. After being escorted out of the bar, Strain reportedly told his friends he would return to the hotel but never made it back to the room.
The college student was still wearing the same shirt he had on when he went missing, along with other identifiable objects, according to Chief Drake. "I want to say to the family, my heart and prayers go out to you all for this very unfortunate and tragic incident," Drake expressed during a press conference. "I also want to say thank you to the Nashville community and the outpouring community of the outpouring support from the community in trying to help us locate Mr. Strain."
The timeline of Strain's body being discovered aligns with when police expected his body to surface if he had indeed fallen into the Cumberland River, given his height of 6 feet, 5 inches, and weight of 160 pounds. "This is the 14th day so we were really expecting anytime soon to find him," Drake explained.
In the days following Strain's disappearance, security camera footage showed him stumbling around the streets of downtown Nashville, appearing visibly intoxicated. He was also captured on a police officer's body-worn camera, exchanging pleasantries as he walked past the officer who was responding to a burglary report on Gay Street, which runs along the Cumberland River.
Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink released a statement on Friday, March 15, stating that they had served Strain one alcoholic drink and two waters before security escorted him out around 9:35 p.m. "based on our conduct standards."
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell expressed his condolences on social media, stating, "This is not the outcome that anyone hoped for - especially his parents and everyone who loved him." O'Connell, who had met with Strain's family earlier in the week, pledged that the city would continue to work toward improvements in safety.
District 19 Council member Jacob Kupin, who represents downtown Nashville, also shared his condolences and revealed that he had been actively working on steps to secure the river area where Strain is believed to have fallen. "We will continue these efforts to make sure his death was not in vain," Kupin said.
The United Cajun Navy, a search and rescue group that largely assists in natural disasters and missing persons cases, had been providing in-person support to Strain's parents since Tuesday. The discovery of Riley Strain's body brings a somber end to the extensive search efforts that had been underway for the past two weeks.
