Riley Strain, a 22-year-old student, disappeared on March 8 after a night out with his fraternity brothers in Nashville. Strain was reportedly ejected from Luke Bryan’s bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, for an unknown reason. He informed his friends he would meet them back at the hotel, but when they returned, he was nowhere to be found. Unable to reach him or track his location via Snapchat, they reported him missing on March 9.
Search efforts began immediately.
Strain’s stepfather shared that Riley had FaceTimed his mother on the night he vanished, mentioning he had visited two more bars before being kicked out of the third. Speaking to NBC News, the stepfather noted, “He didn’t even sound like he had been drinking a lot.”
A tweet from a concerned individual highlighted the pain Riley’s mother must be feeling, emphasizing how the world seems to continue as normal while a parent searches desperately for their child.
The mystery deepened with the release of a confusing text sent from Riley’s phone that night. At 9:47 p.m., surveillance footage showed him crossing the street, and another camera captured him five minutes later appearing disoriented. This was the last known sighting of Strain.
Riley’s family made a heartfelt plea to the public and authorities for help in finding him.
“We’re looking for you. We are not leaving until we have you. We’re going to be with you at graduation…and everything’s going to be fine,” his stepfather said.
On the night he vanished, Strain sent a text message to a 22-year-old woman he was reportedly seeing. The message read “Good lops,” adding to the confusion surrounding his disappearance. Riley’s mother told People, “He’s got several friends that are female, male. I don’t know the individual he talked to at that time.”
Despite their hopes, on March 22, Riley Strain’s body was found eight miles downriver from where he was last seen. His body was discovered by a worker from a local building materials company that unloads barges at the river.
“My company works on the river. I have just found a, uh, dead body,” the worker told the police, adding, “I believe it to be Riley.”
The Metro Nashville Police Department indicated that a preliminary autopsy suggests Riley Strain’s death was accidental. Don Aaron, a spokesman for the department, confirmed that a detective attended the autopsy, and Riley’s death “continues to appear accidental.” There was “no foul play-related trauma,” and the results of a toxicology report are pending.
We extend our deepest condolences to Riley Strain’s family. May he rest in peace.
