Riley Strain timeline: Search and discovery of missing Mizzou student

NASHVILLE (NewsNation) — The body of missing student Riley Strain was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, Tennessee, on March 22, 2024.

His family had continued to hold out hope that their 22-year-old son would return home safely after he disappeared while on a trip to the city earlier in early March.

Strain was in Music City for a fraternity conference with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers on March 8 when he went missing after he was asked to leave Luke Bryan’s bar Luke 32 Bridge.

“It’s your worst nightmare, really,” Ryan Gilbert, Strain’s father, said.

Although some cameras captured the soon-to-be graduate making his way downtown, heading toward the Metro Courthouse, his family explained there were gaps and cameras pointed in the wrong direction made it hard to know exactly where to look for Strain.

Here’s a look at the timeline of events following Strain’s disappearance, including the efforts to find him and bring him home safely.

Riley Strain disappears

March 8, 2024: 9:35 p.m. — Strain was kicked out of the bar. In a statement, the TC Restaurant Group, which owns and operates the bar, said its security team “made a decision based on our conduct standards to escort him from the venue through our Broadway exit at the front of our building.”

The TC Restaurant Group said Strain was asked to leave after only being served one alcoholic drink and two waters.

He was followed down the stairs with one of his friends, according to the bar. However, his friend reportedly did not exit and returned upstairs.

Strain’s stepfather Chris Whiteid said one of Strain’s friends attempted to leave the bar with him, but the security team would not let him out at that point.

9:46 p.m. — Surveillance video from Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street caught Riley stumbling and falling in a parking lot at Third Avenue and Church Street.

9:47 p.m. — Surveillance video caught Strain crossing First Avenue North to Gay Street.

9:52 p.m. — Bodycam footage shows Strain having a brief exchange with Nashville Officer Reginald Young on Gay Street, south of the Woodland Street Bridge. According to police, no video of him was seen after this point.

About 9:55 p.m. — Last known footage of Strain shows the 22-year-old approaching and walking under the James Robertson Parkway bridge. In that video, Strain’s stepfather said it was not clear whether Strain had vomit on his shirt.

10:15 p.m. — Whiteid pings Strain’s phone. It shows it is located in the opposite direction of the hotel near James Robertson Parkway and Gay Street. Detectives claim the last phone conversation Strain had was with one of his friends was also around this time.

What happened to Riley Strain the night he went missing?

March 9, 2024: Strain’s friend called 911 after saying he went to the Central Police Precinct and called the sheriff’s office to file a missing person’s report.

Strain’s family, from Springfield, Missouri, drove down to Nashville as soon as they got a call from his fraternity brothers about his disappearance.

March 11, 2024:  The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department posted on X, saying it was still working to locate Strain and asking the public for tips.

Police checked hospitals and jails with no luck.

Whiteid said Strain had been on the same trip before with no issues and would normally talk to his family three or four times a day.

Search for Riley Strain in Nashville

March 12, 2024: Strain’s family joined authorities in a search along the Cumberland River, less than half a mile from where his phone last pinged. However, nothing was found.

Benton McDonough, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife, released a statement urging visitors to be mindful of their surroundings and to “know your limits when it comes to alcohol intake.”

The TC Restaurant Group, operator and owner of Bryan’s bar, also released a statement updating the public on its involvement in the search for Strain.

“TC Restaurant Group, operator and owner of Luke’s 32 Bridge, is continuing to work closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and any other potentially helpful information to aid in the search for Riley Strain. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return.”

TC RESTAURANT GROUP

March 13, 2024: The police department released surveillance video showing Strain crossing First Avenue North to Gay Street.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission also announced it opened an investigation into the matter.

Nashville’s Office of Emergency Management groups searched the riverbank area using sonar equipment, still finding nothing.

Family and friends gathered for a vigil to pray for Strain’s safe return.

Search continues near Cumberland River

March 14, 2024: The MNPD’s Urban Search and Rescue team continued searching the area around Strain’s last known location near the Cumberland River. During a news conference, police said they were also speaking with people living in nearby homeless encampments.

At the time, investigators said there had been no indication of foul play or that Strain was involved in any type of fight or argument.

Police were still working to obtain all of Strain’s phone records. However, they also said there has been no evidence of him getting in a cab or using a ride-share service.

March 15, 2024: The TC Restaurant Group released another statement, providing more details on the investigation and what happened the night Strain was kicked out of Bryan’s bar.

In our effort to help the Nashville Metro Police Department’s Missing Persons investigation of Riley Strain, we proactively provided detailed information quickly after his visit to our business on March 8. This information included all security camera footage, photos of Riley at our establishment with detailed time stamps, transaction records, and staff accounts. Additionally, we proactively engaged in communication with the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission and will continue to communicate and provide any records needed to aid their ongoing investigation.

During Riley’s visit to Luke’s 32 Bridge, our records show he purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters. At 9:35 p.m., our security team made a decision based on our conduct standards to escort him from the venue through our Broadway exit at the front of our building. He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs.

Our prayers continue to be with Riley’s friends and family during this difficult time and for his safe return.

TC RESTAURANT GROUP

March 16, 2024: Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, said the family learned Strain’s Apple Watch location services had never been set up, ruining a lead they hoped would bring them answers. 

“We’re ready to get this over with. We want some answers,” Gilbert said at the time. “We’re a week in, it’s not getting any easier. Time seems like it’s really to the critical point, and we want to ask anybody, if they know anything, to please share it.”

The Nashville Office of Emergency Management said drones, canines, boats, and divers were used to search in and around the Cumberland River. 

Riley Strain’s bank card found near river

March 17, 2024: Strain’s bank card was discovered on an embankment of the Cumberland River, MNPD said.

March 18, 2024: New bodycam footage showing a brief exchange between Strain and a Nashville officer on the night of his disappearance is released.

In the video, Strain does not seem distressed or visibly intoxicated. However, surveillance video from just minutes earlier showed him stumbling and unable to keep his head straight.

You can watch the bodycam footage in the video below.

Family friend Chris Dingman told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that Strain’s last communication was an unclear text message he sent to a new girl he was seeing.

“She texted him to see how he was doing, if he was having fun. He sent kind of a scripted text back to her saying ‘Good lops,’” Dingman said.

“I’m not sure … He’s got several friends that are female, male. I don’t know the individual he talked to at that time,” Whiteid said on “Banfield.”

Dingman said the 22-year-old’s phone had battery power when it went dark, contradicting initial assumptions.

“That is something that we have been able to find and verify. Riley did have battery power at the time his phone went dark. What we have been told is the phone did not die due to battery capacity,” Dingman said.

The search efforts received a boost from the United Cajun Navy, a national disaster response operation. The organization is deploying hovercraft and airboats to scour the river for any sign of Strain.

Additionally, Dingman disclosed that Strain’s removal from the bar was not due to confrontations but rather a conversation with an employee. “There was no argument … Riley was actually trying to do a good deed,” Dingman said. “They felt like, you know, maybe he had had enough.”

Questions arise about Riley Strain’s clothing, tips to police

March 19, 2024: People report tips to Nashville police regarding Strain’s case are going to the Cold Case Unit voicemail.

Sabrina Martin told “Banfield” that she believes she saw a homeless man wearing Strain’s shirt after he went missing, but she says she wasn’t able to contact the correct authorities.

“I have not heard from the police,” Martin said on “Banfield” at the time. “I have called. I have emailed local news stations. … I found the Crime Stoppers line. That lady did seem to take me seriously, but I have not heard anything back. She did not seem to be aware of Riley’s case.”

“We’ve heard multiple people that have tried to call Crime Stoppers and leave tips and told they don’t know anything about the Riley Strain case. Lots of confusion. We’re struggling. We’re 10 days in. It’s disheartening,” Whiteid added.

March 20, 2024: Two volunteer groups were back on the Cumberland River. Teams also searched the Cheatham Lock and Dam near Ashland City, which is about 25 miles northwest of Nashville, and found no signs of Strain.

“This river is very, very convoluted,” said United Cajun Navy National Director of Operations David Flagg. “There’s literally probably hundreds of places that a body, a drowned person, could be hung up.”

Chris Salisbury, an advocate for Nashville-area homeless, confirmed multiple homeless people saw a homeless man named Ross wearing the shirt Strain was last seen wearing.

Salisbury found surveillance information based on the homeless community, discovering that a homeless man named Ross was wearing Strain’s shirt — which had vomit on it. Ross said he found the clothing item on a railing. However, where Ross says he found it doesn’t add up, according to Salisbury.

Strain’s stepfather said in the bodycam footage from an officer who briefly interacted with the college student, vomit was not visible on his shirt.

However, multiple homeless people confirmed they saw vomit on the shirt. Plus, a couple had witnessed Strain vomiting over the side rail moments before his brief encounter with the police officer.

Chris and Michelle Whiteid shared details about the last known footage of Strain. The 22-year-old was approaching the James Robertson Parkway bridge in a never-released video. Strain’s stepfather said it was not clear whether Strain had vomit on his shirt.

March 21, 2024: The search for Strain has still not produced any evidence of a “criminal element” to his disappearance, Nashville police said in a statement.

Riley Strain’s body found

March 22, 2024: Police confirmed a body found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville is that of Riley Strain. Investigators said there were no signs of foul play and an autopsy is being performed.

“Hug your babies tight tonight, please. Please for me,” Strain’s mother said.

March 23, 2024: Nashville police confirmed to NewsNation affiliate WKRN that Strain’s preliminary autopsy had been completed, adding that his death continued to appear “accidental” with no trauma that would suggest foul play.

March 24, 2024: A Change.com petition was created, calling for a bill called “Riley’s Act” to be passed. This law would make it mandatory for bars and their employees to call cabs or Ubers for intoxicated or disoriented customers.

March 25, 2024: Nashville’s mayor and city officials announced they are considering adding guardrails or barricades at the riverfront near the city’s nightclub and music hall area.

March 27, 2024: Dingman, the Strain family friend, told NewsNation that when the 22-year-old’s body was recovered from the Cumberland River, he was not wearing his pants, wallet or cowboy boots he had on the night he went missing.

“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Dingman said in an interview on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”

The family ordered a second autopsy in hopes of obtaining more information.

“The family deserves more answers than we have,” Dingman stated.

One puzzling detail from the first autopsy was a medical examiner stating Strain had no water in his lungs, raising questions about the circumstances of his death.

Remembering Riley Strain

March 28, 2024: A missionary for Pope Francis offered to pay all of Strain’s funeral costs, WKRN reported.

March 29, 2024: A visitation was held in remembrance of Strain at the Greenlawn Funeral Home in Springfield, Missouri. A celebration of life ceremony followed the visitation, where the family asked visitors to wear green because it was his favorite color.

A private burial service will be held at a later time.

Riley Strain’s family looks for answers

April 3, 2024: Strain’s family questioned why the belt they know he was wearing didn’t secure his pants the night of his disappearance.

“Riley had a swimmer’s body,” Dingman said. “(The belt) would have been snug to him, riding on his hips. … As soon as we found out he had a belt on that night, (it) totally changes the dynamics of why those articles are missing.”

When Strain’s body was recovered, he wasn’t wearing his pants, wallet or cowboy boots he had on the night he went missing.

April 9, 2024: Dingman told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that Strain’s family is continuing to search for evidence regarding what led to the student’s disappearance and death.

In addition to the second autopsy, the family is asking to see footage from several cameras at a detention center near where Strain was last seen. Dingman also said the last known person to speak with the late University of Missouri student gave the family and later detectives a statement about what happened the night Strain disappeared.

“That was huge. That was something we were looking for,” Dingman said in an interview on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “He told the detective his account of the story of what happened to Riley.”

April 16, 2024: Strain’s family told NewsNation’s Brian Entin they are still bothered by the events leading up to Strain’s death. His mother said Strain texted her that his drink tasted odd the night he died, suggesting something may have been in his drink that shouldn’t have been.

The family also believes someone “helped” Strain into the water, though police have said they believe Strain fell in the Cumberland River on accident. They point to the autopsy results and the missing articles of clothing to suggest the accident explanation doesn’t make sense.

Strain’s family also noted that his fraternity brothers failed to call 911 the night Strain disappeared and went partying during the search, according to Strain’s mother.

‘Riley’s Act’ calls out Nashville bars

April 30, 2024: Nearly 31,000 people have signed a petition in honor of Strain that would require downtown Nashville bars to call cabs so that intoxicated people can get home safely.

“This law would make bars and staff mandatory to call cabs and Ubers for intoxicated & disoriented individuals. Let’s not let Riley’s tragedy end in vain. Please keep his family in your prayers and help keep our kids safe,” the petition reads.

Mizzou honors Riley Strain at graduation

May 11, 2024: The University of Missouri honored Strain‘s academic accomplishments during the College of Arts & Science commencement ceremony, presenting a diploma to the 22-year-old’s parents.

A moment of silence and remembrance for Strain was held during Saturday’s ceremony. Strain’s mother, father and step-parents attended, where they were showered with support from the community.

The ceremony began with Strain’s name read first. All four parents approached the main stage to accept Strain’s diploma. They were greeted with a roaring standing ovation.

NewsNation affiliate WKRN and NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report.