Riley Strain's Credit Card Found Near River, Whereabouts Remain Unknown

Over one week after 22-year-old Riley Strain's mysterious disappearance, his credit card has been recovered near a river in Nashville, Tennessee.

The University of Missouri student was in town with a group of friends, where they allegedly went bar hopping, ending at country music singer Luke Bryan's bar.

While Riley's family claims he was asked to leave the bar, security and staff at the venue say otherwise. Riley's whereabouts remain unknown, but a new discovery may have helped cops with a new lead.

Riley was in Nashville, Tennessee with a group of friends, but the 22-year-old never returned to their hotel after a fun night out. According to his friends and family, Riley was last seen leaving Luke Bryan’s bar and restaurant.

“At approximately 9:45 p.m., he was asked to leave Luke Bryan’s bar,” Riley’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told WSMV of Nashville. “They got separated. The boys called him, and he said, ‘I’m walking back to my hotel.’ They didn’t think anything about it.”

Ryan Gilbert, Riley’s dad, told FOX17 something similar, claiming “He was put out of the bar by himself, and there was a time that went by that his friend wasn’t able to get out. We believe they were taking care of the bar tab or whatnot. By the time they got outside, he just wasn’t there any longer.”

Riley's bank card was found Sunday afternoon “on the embankment between Gay St. and the Cumberland River,” according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the police who discovered the card -- it was two women who happened to be in the area.

Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen were going through trash along the riverbank when they located the missing student's bank card among “pieces of clothing, shoes, bottles, cans” and more, according to NBC affiliate WSMV-TV. The riverbank is the same location of his cell phone's last ping. It is unclear if the other items belonged to Riley.

“I don’t really know how we found it,” Clemdening told the outlet. “I would love to say just dumb luck divine intervention — it was just sitting there.”

The investigation remains ongoing.

Despite claims that Riley Strain was over-served, a rep for the TC Restaurant Group and Luke’s 32 Bridge denied those claims.

“They quickly provided cops with any and all pertinent information in helping track Riley’s whereabouts when he first disappeared last Friday — including handing over all the surveillance footage they had," per TMZ.

The bar also gave police receipts, transaction records, and time stamps to show authorities exactly what Riley drank while in their establishment. According to the staff at Luke Bryan's bar, Riley was escorted to the front of the venue by security, where he was accompanied by one person in his party, however, this contradicts with what Riley’s family had previously told news outlets.

The 22-year-old student “was last seen on camera on the Gay St Connector at 9:52 p.m.” local time on March 8, according to police.

According to police, a body was discovered in the Cumberland River over the weekend, however, the Nashville Fire Department said it did not match Riley's description

Strain is described as 6-foot-7 “with a thin build, blue eyes, and light brown hair,” according to authorities.

Riley’s dad, Ryan Gilbert, previously claimed that “They should be able to quickly find him. I mean, at six (foot) seven (inches), he kind of stands out in the crowd."

He added, “Given the timeframe that we’ve been able to narrow down to, they should be able to start finding his digital footprint based on cameras.”

NBC reports that security footage shows the 22-year-old stumbling down the street, seemingly heading back to the hotel, however, he then took a wrong turn. The footage is from March 8, the same night he went missing. It is unclear where the security footage is from.

Riley Strain is still considered missing at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call MU Police, 573-882-7201, who is working with law enforcement in Nashville.