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Why did deceased Riley Strain's belt not secure his pants? Family raises grim questions
Riley Strain's body was found without pants, cowboy boots and his wallet when he was discovered in Nashville
University of Missouri senior Riley Strain’s family has raised questions on why the belt he was wearing the night he disappeared did not secure his pants. His body was found without pants, cowboy boots and his wallet when he was discovered in Nashville.
“Riley had a swimmer’s body,” family friend Chris Dingman said during an appearance on NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports. “(The belt) would have been snug to him, riding on his hips. … As soon as we found out he had a belt on that night, (it) totally changes the dynamics of why those articles are missing.”
The 22-year-old was reported missing on March 8 after being kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge. A man later found his body in the Cumberland River in West Nashville.
“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Dingman previously said.
‘It’s very brutal on the family right now’
The Metro Nashville Police Department has said that the preliminary autopsy found that Strain’s death continued to appear “accidental.” No foul play was involved, they said. However, his family has ordered a second autopsy.
“It’s very brutal on the family right now. We’re at the stage where we want answers. We’re blessed to bring Riley home, but now, we want answers,” Dingman said in the recent interview.
The family raised more questions when a medical examiner stated that after the first autopsy, it was found that Strain had no water in his lungs. “Usually, water in the lungs means that they were alive when they went into the water,” Dingman had said.
Police have said that more people will be interviewed in connection with the case, including some from a homeless encampment near the place where Strain’s body was discovered. “I think there’s somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night,” Dingman said.
