Body Of College Student Who Disappeared On Frat Trip Is Found In River

Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that the body of a missing University of Missouri student was found in a Nashville river, weeks after he disappeared.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said the body of Riley Strain, 22, was located about 8 miles away from the downtown area in the Cumberland River, adding that there were no signs of “foul play-related trauma.”

Speaking at a press conference, police Chief John Drake said the body was found in the clothes that Strain had worn the night he disappeared.

Strain was last seen while on a trip with his Delta Chi Fraternity brothers on March 8, when he disappeared upon leaving Luke’s 32 Bridge, musician Luke Bryan’s honky-tonk bar.

A cousin of Strain’s told local news outlet WKRN that the student’s mother last heard from him around 7:30 p.m. that night, when he told her that he was “having a good time.”

Surveillance footage shared by Nashville police showed an apparently disoriented Strain walking away after leaving the bar.

TC Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Luke’s 32 Bridge in partnership with Bryan, denied over-serving the college student, saying that Strain was only served “one alcoholic drink and two waters.” 

In a statement shared with HuffPost, the business said that bar security escorted the college student out at around 9:35 p.m. with one member of his party.

Strain’s friends told authorities that they got separated from him and tried to locate him through Snapchat’s location function, but were unsuccessful, according to a police report cited by The Tennessean.

In a statement released March 11, the Delta Chi Fraternity headquarters said that it was aware of the disappearance and “hopeful” for Strain’s safe return. 

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Friday addressed the discovery of Strain’s body.

“This is not the outcome that anyone hoped for – especially his parents and everyone who loved him” O’Connell wrote on social media.

“I met with Riley’s family earlier this week, and as devastating as I find this news, I can’t imagine their heartbreak,” he added. “We will continue to work toward improvements in safety in a variety of ways.”