Riley Strain updates: Missing Missouri student was kicked out of bar after one drink

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department says its officers have been out looking for Riley.

A MNPD helicopter searched the downtown area on Monday, “including the riverbank”, while detectives also searched on the ground.

Mizzou student Riley Strain, 22, was last seen on Friday 8 March 2024 in Nashville, TN

When Riley disappeared, his friends said they spent hours looking for him, while his mother and stepfather have also joined the search in recent days.

On Wednesday night, boats searched the Cumberland River for Strain as detectives shifted their focus to reviewing security video. Riley’s phone was last tracked near Public Square Park along the Cumberland River.

“The sad part of this situation is every day we get new leads and go down different avenues,” Mr Dingman told WSMV4.

“We’re going to get there, but it also opens up more doors on what could’ve possibly happened.”

Riley’s parents have also come to Nashville to assist with search efforts.

“This is definitely the worst nightmare,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteild, 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.”

Police in Nashville say there are currently “no signs of foul play” amid the ongoing search for missing student Riley Strain.

On Thursday an urban search and rescue team continued to search along the brush line of the bank of the Cumberland River, checked storm drains and looked in dilapidated buildings.

However at a police conference later that afternoon – almost one week after the sophomore from the University of Missouri went missing – police said there was still no sign of the 22-year-old.

Metro Nashville Police Sergeant Bob Neilsen told reporters: “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.

“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.”

Missing student Riley Strain was reportedly seen wandering in downtown Nashville by two separate groups of homeless people on the night that he disappeared.

Mr Strain, who attends the University of Missouri, has been missing since 8 March after he was kicked out of 32BRIDGE bar, an establishment owned by country singer Luke Bryan, at 9.30pm.

The 22-year-old had allegedly been overserved alcohol, according to his stepfather, Chris Whiteid. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is investigating those claims.

After being kicked out, the student then wandered the streets, according to surveillance footage in the area.

On Wednesday, friend Chris Dingman said he had learned from Mr Strain’s relatives that the missing student was seen by two groups of homeless people on the night he vanished.

Riley Strain, a University of Missouri who went missing after reportedly getting kicked out of a Nashville bar, was just served one drink before being escorted out, the bar owners say.

The 22-year-old student was partying with friends at Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink bar just before 10pm on 8 March. The bar’s owner, TC Restaurant Group, told KOLR 10 Mr Strain was served one alcoholic drink and two waters before he was asked to leave.

“No members of Riley’s party were required to stay inside the venue to close any open tabs, and no one from Luke’s 32 Bridge team prevented anyone from Riley’s party from leaving the venue with him,” the owners added.

Mr Strain and his fraternity brothers were reportedly on a trip to Nashville for a spring formal.

The news comes days after the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced on 13 March that it was looking into whether or not Mr Strain had been served alcohol while visibly intoxicated at the bar.

The college senior’s stepfather said in an interview on Monday that the days since Riley’s disappearance had been “pure hell”.

His family has travelled to the city and been walking the streets looking for the young man who called his frat brothers after leaving the bar, saying he was going back to their hotel.

Riley’s friends tried to call him repeatedly after that on Friday night and on Saturday morning, but the calls kept going to voicemail.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released video footage on Tuesday, showing Riley wearing a two-tone shirt, crossing 1st Avenue North to Gay Street at around 9.45pm on Friday. That spot is just over half a mile from the bar.

Investigators are asking anyone who could help locate the 6’5” tall man with a thin build, blue eyes and light brown hair to come forward.

Dan Gooding has the full story…

His friends attempted to find him after he left the bar, but by 1.40am, found no trace of him. They then called the police to report him missing.

The following is a timeline of the disappearance of Riley Strain.

Garry Hanner, the owner of the non-profit American Airboat Rescue, told ABC15 that he’s been assisting police in the search for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain.

“For about six hours, we went up and down the river, walked all the banks, went 14 miles downstream, and then came up almost to Rock Harbor,” Mr Hanner said.

Mr Hanner told the outlet that he has spent the last few days with Mr Strain’s family searching for the missing student.

Riley Strain, 22, was last seen on Friday night as he left Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in Nashville’s Broadway area.

The senior’s stepfather said in an interview on Monday that the days since Riley’s disappearance had been “pure hell”.