Nashville police looking into ‘dozens’ of tips regarding missing Missouri student

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The search for a University of Missouri student who went missing while visiting Nashville over the weekend continued Thursday.

Investigators with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) shared an update on the search for 22-year-old Riley Strain at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. According to Sgt. Bob Nielsen, a supervisor of missing person investigations, the department has received numerous tips and is working to sift through possible information.

“A lot of it now at this point is just filtering all of the information,” he said. “We’ve been getting just dozens of Crime Stoppers tips every day pretty much since this has started and so it takes time to go through all of those, scrutinize that information, make certain that there could be a viable lead. A lot of them, as you can imagine, is just frivolous information.”

The MNPD said officers were alerted about Strain’s disappearance on Saturday, March 9. One of his fraternity brothers told investigators Strain had been kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar on Broadway around 10 p.m. on Friday, March 8.

However, when they returned to their room at the Tempo Hotel, Strain wasn’t there. By Saturday morning, he still hadn’t made it back. Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, said she had FaceTimed with Strain just a few hours before he was kicked out of the bar and he acted normal. 

The police department initiated checks of hospitals and jails, along with a cell phone ping near a cell tower located at 19 Oldham Street. His friends also were able to check Strain’s Snapchat location somewhere around the Metro Courthouse to no avail.

When authorities checked with Verizon, the company said it was not able to get a “live ping” due to the phone being off. His phone’s last ping was reportedly between 9:55 p.m. and 10 p.m., somewhere around James Robertson Parkway and Gay Street.

Detectives said the last phone conversation Strain had with one of his friends was also during that same time period. That was the last time anyone had any kind of interaction with Strain on the phone.

“The last ping that they had was off a cell tower near Top Golf, which is over on that side of the river,” Nielsen said, pointing across the Cumberland River. “However, the radius is about two miles, so it doesn’t give us a direction of travel or more detailed information.”

Police said Thursday they were still working to obtain all of Strain’s phone records. However, they do not believe he used any type of rideshare service. Surveillance video from various downtown businesses has also helped piece together some of Strain’s path that night.

Video from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street showed Strain walking near the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Church Street when he appeared to lose his balance and fall in a parking lot.

That video was captured a few moments before video released by the MNPD showed Strain crossing the street at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Gay Street, not far from where his phone was last pinged.

Nielsen said investigators are continuing to reach out to bars and businesses for more video that they may have missed. Searchers have also been making contact with people at homeless camps in the area and are investigating a claim that a homeless person saw Strain that night.

On Tuesday, March 12, authorities searched the Cumberland River for clues and did not find anything. As the search stretched on Thursday, Nielsen said authorities have continued using boats equipped with sonar and drones.

They have also checked dilapidated buildings and construction in the area. However, there still has been no sign of Strain.

At this time, Nielsen said there is no indication of foul play in his disappearance. There has also been no evidence showing Strain got into a fight with anyone at the bar downtown or after he left that night.

“In a missing person’s case, people go missing for various reasons. Some are voluntary, some are not. Some could be due to a medical incident,” Nielsen said. “Right now, we have no idea what happened with this gentleman. We don’t believe there was any crime involved, however. All of our resources right now are dedicated to locating him.”

Strain’s parents came to Nashville after his friends informed them of his disappearance and have been desperate to find him ever since. Strain is 6-feet, 5-inches tall, with a slender build, blonde hair, and blue eyes, according to his family.

“This is definitely the worst nightmare,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told News 2. “Riley talks to us, whether it’s me or to his mom. He talks to his mom three or four times a day. For him to go this long without talking is not normal by any means.” 

If you see Strain or have any information about where he may be, you are asked to call the MNPD at 615-862-8600.