The body of missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain was found Friday morning in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, Tennessee.
Strain’s body was found about 8 miles from downtown Nashville, where he was last seen leaving a bar around 10 p.m. March 8. No foul play was suspected in his death, and an autopsy is pending.
Strain, 22, had traveled to Tennessee with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for an annual spring formal trip. His fraternity brothers told authorities they could not find Strain after he was kicked out of a bar belonging to country music star Luke Bryan, Luke’s 32 Bridge.
Nashville police Chief John Drake said authorities received a call around 7:30 a.m. Friday from a worker on 61st Avenue who saw what appeared to be Strain’s body.
After the body was removed from the river, the medical examiner’s office confirmed the identity by factors including Strain’s watch and two-toned shirt.
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Drake said if Strain’s body was in the river, authorities had been expecting it to surface between 14 to 20 days after he went into the water.
“This is the 14th day, so we were really expecting anytime soon to find him,” Drake said in a news conference. “In fact, our search teams were going to put in the water here this morning and search from this point further down, so we were in the right spot. It’s just unfortunate.”
In the days after Strain went missing, his family traveled to Nashville to help with the search. Helicopters and boats were deployed, security footage showed Strain stumbling through downtown, and amateur investigators on TikTok found Strain’s bank card near the river.
Strain, of Springfield, Missouri, was a senior business and finance student at Mizzou.
Luke’s 32 Bridge is a five-story venue on Broadway with seven bars and three stages.
In an interview, Strain’s stepfather, Christopher Whiteid, told the Post-Dispatch that Strain had FaceTimed his mother that Friday from a bar a few hours before he went missing.
According to Luke’s 32 Bridge, records show that Strain was served one alcoholic drink and two glasses of water before the bar’s security team escorted him out around 9:35 p.m.
In a statement, the bar said Strain was taken out through the bar’s Broadway exit at the front of the building, and one of his friends headed down with him. The friend did not leave with Riley, though, and headed back upstairs.
After being kicked out of the bar, Strain called his fraternity brothers and told them he was going back to the hotel, Whiteid said.
One of Strain’s fraternity brothers called police from the Tempo Hotel on Rosa Parks Boulevard to report Strain missing on Saturday. The friend told police that he and others unsuccessfully tried using Strain’s Snapchat location to find him. They tried calling him several times on Friday and Saturday, but the calls went to voicemail.
In an email addressed to the campus community, University of Missouri System president Mun Choi reminded students, faculty and staff of counseling resources following the news of Strain’s death.
“The university is equipped to assist you as you process this loss,” Choi wrote. “As the Mizzou community mourns Riley, we are keeping his family in our thoughts and offering support.”
And Delta Chi, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, issued a statement Friday asking for the respect and privacy of Strain’s family and fraternity brothers during this time.
“The Delta Chi Fraternity is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our esteemed fraternity brother, Riley Strain,” reads the statement from spokesperson Chase Strother. “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.”
Delta Chi has more than 118,000 members across nearly 150 chapters.
Nashville police have released footage of the Mizzou senior who went missing over the weekend.
Riley Strain was last seen about 10 p.m. Friday leaving a bar in downtown Nashville. His stepfather said Monday the past few days have been "pure hell."