NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The death of a University of Missouri student who vanished earlier this month during a trip to Nashville appears to be accidental, according to authorities.
A spokesperson with the Metro Nashville Police Department told The Tennessean on Monday that Riley Strain’s death appeared to be “accidental.” Toxicology results remained pending, spokesperson Kris Mumford said, according to the newspaper.
On Friday, police announced that Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville 14 days after he disappeared after a night out in Nashville. The 22-year-old was wearing the same shirt that he had been seen wearing prior to his disappearance.
Police Chief John Drake said investigators did not immediately see any signs of foul play and that early evidence suggested he might have fallen into the river.
“There’s no other evidence that suggests anything other than that,” he said on Friday. “We have reports that normally under these circumstances, with his height and weight, that he could have surfaced between 14 and 20 days. This is the 14th day, so we were really expecting anytime soon to find him.”
Strain was visiting Nashville for a fraternity trip and disappeared March 8 after he was kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge, a bar on Broadway owned by country singer Luke Bryan, WSMV reported. In a statement, bar representatives said the 22-year-old was served one alcoholic drink before he was escorted from the venue. Surveillance footage released by police showed Strain walking around downtown, sometimes stumbling, after he left the business.
Officials have since launched an investigation into whether Strain was overserved at Luke’s 32 Bridge before he was kicked out, The Tennessean reported.
At an emotional news conference last week, family members thanked the public for its support as authorities searched for Strain.
“I just ask that you mamas out there, hug you babies tight tonight, please,” Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, said. “Please, for me. Hug your babies tight tonight.”
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