Riley Strain smiling

Riley Strain's Body Found In A River Weeks After Being Kicked Out Of Nashville Bar

Home / News / Riley Strain's Body Found In A River Weeks After Being Kicked Out Of Nashville Bar

By Favour Adegoke on March 22, 2024 at 11:56 AM EDT
Updated on March 22, 2024 at 12:42 PM EDT

The body of Riley Strain, the missing student from the University of Missouri, has reportedly been found two weeks after his disappearance.

According to reports, Nashville police confirmed that the 22-year-old's body was removed from the Cumberland River this morning.

News of Strain's disappearance came amid claims that he had been kicked out of country singer Luke Bryan's bar after being allegedly served too much alcohol.

Article continues below advertisement

Riley Strain's Body Found In A River

Newly Released Video Shows Riley Strain Speak To Police On The Night He Vanished
Whiteid and Gilbert Family

On Friday morning, police announced the news of the discovery of Strain's body, with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department taking to X (formerly Twitter) to note that an autopsy is pending, although there were no signs of trauma on his body.

They wrote, "BREAKING: The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown. No foul play-related trauma was observed. An autopsy is pending."

Article continues below advertisement
Article continues below advertisement

According to NBC News, Police Chief John Drake said during a press conference that they were contacted at around 7:28 a.m. by a worker at a nearby business who found the 22-year-old's body after removing an object from the river.

After the body was taken out of the water by the city fire department, the identity was later verified by the medical examiner's office. The police chief noted that Strain was still wearing his shirt and other identifiable items on his body upon discovery.

Article continues below advertisement

Riley Strain's Family Has Been Contacted

Newly Released Video Shows Riley Strain Speak To Police On The Night He Vanished
Whiteid and Gilbert Family

The family of the missing college student has already been contacted about his body being found in the Cumberland River.

"I want to say to the family, my heart and prayers go out to you all for this very unfortunate and tragic incident," Police Chief Drake said during the press conference. "I also want to say thank you to the Nashville community and the outpouring community of the outpouring support from the community in trying to help us locate Mr. Strain."

Due to Strain's height and weight, the police already had an idea of when his body would surface if he were in the Cumberland River. They estimated that he would surface between 14 to 20 days.

"This is the 14th day so we were really expecting anytime soon to find him," Drake noted.

Article continues below advertisement

As we previously reported, Strain went missing on March 8 after allegedly getting kicked out of singer Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville. The student was on a trip with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for a spring formal.

Luke Bryan's Bar Is Reportedly Under Investigation For Overserving Strain

Man Last Seen At Luke Bryan's Bar Has Been Missing For Days
MEGA

A week after Strain was reported missing, it was revealed that the bar he was kicked out of, Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge Food + Drink, was being investigated for allegedly overserving the college student alcohol.

Serving alcohol to anyone who is obviously drunk is against state law, according to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), even though there are no special regulations governing escorting inebriated patrons from establishments or offering any help in getting someone home.

"A violation is a class A misdemeanor. The TABC has opened an investigation into this matter to see if any violations have occurred," the commission added, per Daily Mail.

Article continues below advertisement

Before investigations began, the police had already suggested that Strain may have been served too much alcohol. Upon leaving the bar, Strain reportedly told his Delta Chi fraternity brothers that he would meet them back at their hotel. Unfortunately, on getting there, the group saw no sign of the 22-year-old.

Luke Bryan's Bar Denied Overserving Riley Strain

Man Last Seen At Luke Bryan's Bar Has Been Missing For Days
Whiteid and Gilbert Family

Following claims that Strain had been overserved alcohol, Bryan's bar quickly issued a statement denying the allegation.

TC Restaurant Group, which operates Bryan's bar, said, "During Riley’s visit to Luke’s 32 Bridge, our records show he purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters. At 9:35 p.m., our security team made a decision, based on our conduct standards, to escort him from the venue through our Broadway exit at the front of our building. He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs."

Article continues below advertisement

"In our effort to help the Nashville Metro Police Department’s Missing Persons investigation of Riley Strain, we proactively provided detailed information quickly after his visit to our business on March 8. This information included all security camera footage, photos of Riley at our establishment with detailed time stamps, transaction records, and staff accounts," the group added, per HuffPost. "Additionally, we proactively engaged in communication with the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission and will continue to communicate and provide any records needed to aid their ongoing investigation."

Riley Strain's Credit Card Was Found Near A River

Man Last Seen At Luke Bryan's Bar Has Been Missing For Days
Whiteid and Gilbert Family

Prior to Riley's body being recovered from the Cumberland River, his credit card was discovered near the location by two women.

As we previously reported, Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baene were reportedly going through trash found along the riverbank when they came across the student's credit card.

Speaking to NBC Affiliate WSMV, Clemdening said, "I don’t really know how we found it. I would love to say just dumb luck divine intervention — it was just sitting there."

Rest in peace,  Riley Strain.

Advertisement