Riley Strain Metropolitan Nashville Police Department/Facebook
Late college student Riley Strain’s family has requested a second autopsy after the preliminary report revealed his death to be “accidental” with no foul play.
“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Chris Dingman, a family friend of Strain’s family, told NewsNation in an interview on Wednesday, March 27. “The family deserves more answers than we have”
Multiple outlets have confirmed that the late Strain’s family had a private autopsy completed on the late student after the first report was released on Saturday, March 23.
Strain initially went missing on March 8 after being seen at Luke Bryan’s Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink restaurant in Nashville. He was found dead eight miles from the city’s downtown area on March 22.
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“The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown,” the Nashville PD announced via X. “No foul play-related trauma was observed. An autopsy is pending.”
Strain was 22 at the time of his death and had been on a visit to Nashville as part of a Delta Chi fraternity trip. The late student attended the University of Missouri, Columbia.
“The boys called him, and he said, ‘I’m walking back to my hotel,’” Chris Whiteid, Strain’s stepdad, told local news outlet WSMV days after his stepson went missing. “They didn’t think anything about it.”
Days later, Whiteid appeared on the “Top Story With Tom Llamas,” revealing that Strain had contacted the family before his disappearance.
“It’s very odd. Friday night when they got there, he had sent pictures, he called,” Strain’s stepfather revealed. “Yes, we’re hurting and everything, but right now we’re still expecting a positive outcome.”
Strain made a turn away from his hotel, security footage later revealed. His bank card was located near Cumberland River and Gay Street during the investigation into his whereabouts. Separate security footage also showed that an apparently intoxicated Strain was walking with a homeless man during the night. He also interacted with a police officer at 9:52 p.m. on the night of his disappearance, body cam footage showed.
As the investigation went on, it was confirmed that Bryan’s bar was being looked into as he was asked to leave the establishment.
“We are investigating whether Mr. Strain was served alcohol while he was visibly intoxicated,” the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission communications director Aaron Rummage told NBC News on March 13.
The restaurant and its owner, TC Restaurant Group, did cooperate with the investigation, they shared in a statement to Us Weekly on March 15. However, Bryan nor the establishment has publicly addressed the news of Strain’s death. Us has reached out to Bryan’s team for comment.