Riley Strain's Official Cause Of Death Confirmed, Autopsy Results Bring Closure

After weeks of unanswered questions and speculation, a cause of death for 22-year-old Riley Strain has been confirmed.

As The Blast previously reported, Riley was last seen visiting bars in downtown Nashville on March 8, 2024, with his fraternity brothers. Around 9:35 p.m., he was reportedly kicked out of Luke Bryan's establishment and planned to meet his frat brothers at the hotel. However, hours later, after his friends returned to the hotel, Riley was nowhere to be found.

Following a two-week-long search, Riley's body was found in a river nearby. Preliminary results from both the toxicology and autopsy showed that the 22-year-old died from accidental drowning and that there were no signs of foul play.

Now, the autopsy report has been made public, and more details surrounding Riley Strain's cause of death have been revealed.

According to the autopsy report obtained by TMZ, Riley's official cause of death is listed as drowning and ethanol intoxication. His manner of death was listed as accidental.

His BAC was at 0.228 when his body was examined -- nearly three times the legal limit to drive. As previously reported by The Blast, the bar stated that Riley was served only one drink and two glasses of water.

There were “traces of THC” found as well. These results come weeks after Riley's mom claimed that her son's drink may have been spiked on the night he went missing. As The Blast reported, she said she received a text from her son claiming that the rum and coke he ordered at Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge bar did "not taste good," adding that it tasted like barbecue.

"Maybe there was something in it that shouldn't have been," she told NewsNation.

The Strain Family had many questions surrounding their loved one's disappearance, as the body of Riley Strain was discovered in Nashville's Cumberland River after fourteen days of searching. Several clothing items and personal belongings, including his phone, pants, belt, wallet, and boots, were not retrieved.

”We’ve had a lot of questions as far as pants, belt, wallet, boots, and none of those items have been found,” Ryan Gilbert, Riley’s father, said earlier this year per KY3. “We’re pretty certain that he would have been wearing a belt at the time.”

It all began on March 8, when Riley Strain disappeared after he was asked to leave Luke Bryan’s bar in Nashville.

“During Riley’s visit to Luke’s 32 Bridge, our records show he purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters,” the TC Restaurant Group, which oversees Bryan’s establishment told PEOPLE Magazine in a statement on March 15. “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," the statement added.

On March 9, one of the brothers reported Riley missing to authorities.

On March 12, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released surveillance footage of the 22-year-old stumbling while crossing the street.

On March 17, two bystanders found Riley Strain’s bank card along a riverbank.

On March 18, police released body camera footage of Riley Strain talking to a police officer.

On March 22, Riley Strain's body was discovered in the Cumberland River. "They removed something from the river and as they moved it they noticed Mr. Strain and called it in," Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake said at the time.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) previously said that it was looking into whether the 22-year-old was overserved before he was removed from Bryan’s bar restaurant.

“There are no specific rules or statutes that governs escorting out intoxicated patrons from their businesses or providing assistance in getting someone home,” TABC communication director Aaron Rummage told PEOPLE earlier this year. “However, state law prohibits serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated. A violation is a class A misdemeanor. The TABC has opened an investigation into this matter to see if any violations have occurred.”

Now that the results show his BAC was at 0.228, questions are again being raised.