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Missouri University student Riley Strain's body found in Nashville's Cumberland river
Riley Strain had disappeared after an evening out with friends on Broadway in downtown Nashville. He was last seen feeling a night bar.
Body of Riley Strain, a 22-year-old University of Missouri senior who had been missing since March 8, was in the Cumberland River on Friday morning, according to Nashville police.
Strain had disappeared after an evening out with friends on Broadway in downtown Nashville. He was visiting the city for his fraternity's spring formal trip.
During a Friday morning press conference, Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake provided details on the discovery. He stated, "This morning, around 7:28 a.m., a worker on 61st Avenue adjacent to the Cumberland River spotted an object in the river that appeared to be Riley Strain."
An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of Strain's death
The Nashville Fire Department retrieved Strain’s body from the river, and an examination at the scene indicated no signs of foul play. "Mr. Strain was found with the shirt he was last seen wearing, along with other identifying factors," Chief Drake confirmed.
On the night of his disappearance, Strain had been drinking with friends at Luke Bryan's downtown bar, Luke's 32. He was asked to leave by the staff and his last known location, based on phone pings, was near Gay Street, which borders the Cumberland River.
Police later released a video of Strain greeting Officer Reginald Young on Gay Street, shortly before he went missing. "Riley did not seem distressed during this brief encounter," police reported.
Luke's 32 released a statement saying that bartenders served Strain one drink before asking him to leave. "At 9:35 p.m., our security team decided to escort him out of the venue through our Broadway exit," the bar said.
Strain had informed his friends that he would return to their hotel, Tempo by Hilton, located approximately five blocks away from Luke's 32. However, when his friends didn't see him later that night, they reported him missing.
The circumstances leading Strain to walk in the opposite direction of his hotel are still under investigation. Chris Dingman, a family spokesperson, mentioned the possibility that Strain might have entered the wrong destination in his phone's map application.
Strain's family flew to Nashville and joined the search effort as soon as they were notified of his disappearance.
