NASHVILLE – The Metro Nashville Police Department reports that the body of Riley Strain, a Missouri college student last seen two weeks ago, was recovered from a Nashville river Friday morning.

The discovery happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday during a search for Strain along the Cumberland River in the West Nashville neighborhood. Police responded to a report of a body found in the river, according to Nexstar Nashville affiliate WKRN.

The Metro Nashville Police Department shared the following details on that search via X: “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.”

Timeline: The disappearance of Missouri student Riley Strain

Strain, a student at the University of Missouri and raised in Springfield, Missouri, disappeared while on a fraternity trip on March 8 in Nashville, Tennessee. Around 9:30 p.m. that night, he was escorted out of a downtown Nashville bar.

Strain told his friends he was headed back to the hotel, but he never made it. His phone was pinged at 10:15 p.m. in the opposite direction of the hotel.

According to WKRN, one of his friends called 911 the next morning after saying he went to the Central Police Precinct and called the sheriff’s office to file a missing person’s report.

Police followed up on several leads into his disappearance, reviewing surveillance videos from different parts of Nashville and searching around the Cumberland River several times. A video that Metro Nashville police released on March 18 showed him interact with a police officer before he went missing. One day earlier, search crews recovered one of his bank cards on an enbankment near the river.

Strain’s family drove down to Nashville immediately after his friends alerted them to his disappearance on March 9. Family members described Strain as “a great kid,” and outgoing to FOX 2. They told WKRN there was much more to him than this picture of a “college kid having fun.”

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“That’s not — if you saw him outside of that, his love and his care and his kindness were of a five-year-old boy that loved every toy he ever had, you know?” Bradley said.

Now that Strain was found, the search will turn more to the investigative side. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has been conducting a separate investigation to determine whether Strain was overserved the night he disappeared.

In a statement released last week, TC Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Luke’s 32 Bridge, said records show Strain purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters before he was kicked out of the bar.

Strain was expected to graduate in May. Mun Choi, President of the University of Missouri, shared this statement in a letter to the Mizzou campus community:

“I write to you with a heavy heart with the news that the search for MU student Riley Strain has ended tragically. After an exhaustive search by authorities and volunteers, Riley’s body was recovered today in Nashville, Tenn., where he had traveled to attend his fraternity’s spring formal event.

The university is equipped to assist you as you process this loss. Students can contact the MU Counseling Center for support. Additionally, the Employee Assistance Program is available to faculty and staff.

The safety of our community is our highest priority, whether on campus or off campus. If you feel unsafe at any time, please call the MU Police Department at 573-882-7201 or dial 911 in the event of any emergency.

As the Mizzou community mourns Riley, we are keeping his family in our thoughts and offering support.”

Strain’s fraternity, Delta Chi, released a statement Friday:

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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