(NewsNation) — Family and friends gathered Wednesday night for a vigil to pray for the safe return of Riley Strain, a University of Missouri student who has been missing nearly a week.
The 22-year-old disappeared Friday after a night out in Nashville, Tennessee, while attending a fraternity conference.
Wednesday’s vigil for the college senior was held in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri.
Surveillance video released this week shows some of the last times Strain was seen after being kicked out of country music star Luke Bryan’s bar for being overserved. In the video, Strain is seen stumbling and appearing disoriented.
Strain told his friends he was going back to their hotel, but a ping on his phone showed he went in the opposite direction.
NewsNation obtained the 911 call a friend made when they realized Strain was missing.
“We’re here on a fraternity trip; it’s one of my good buddies,” the caller told 911.
Detectives applied for a search warrant for Strain’s digital footprint with the hope of using his cellphone and Apple Watch data to find him.
Police have been searching Nashville, including using boats on the Cumberland River, searching the banks along with the private investigation team hired by Strain’s family.
His parents said Thursday on “Morning in America” that time is of the essence and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, said there’s still a lot of surveillance video to review, and the process is moving slower than they’d like.
In the meantime, Strain’s fraternity brothers and friends at school are unnerved and worried.
“Everyone right now is just holding their breath, hoping that we will find him safely, hoping that we will find him without injury,” University of Missouri spokesperson Christian Basi said.
A university spokesperson said Nashville police asked them and local authorities to check the 22-year-old’s apartment, hoping he returned to school, but the search came up empty.