The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Friday said a body that was found in the Cumberland River was identified as missing college student Riley Strain.
The Context:
Strain, a 22-year-old University of Missouri student, was on a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, with his fraternity brothers when he disappeared on March 8. Surveillance footage shows him stumbling and struggling to walk in a straight line after he became separated from his friends when he was kicked out of country music star Luke Bryan's bar, Luke's 32 Bridge.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, about 600,000 people go missing in the United States every year. Analysis of missing adults over the age of 21 by Statista showed that 100,492 men and 62,552 women went missing in 2021.
What We Know:
The MNPD confirmed that Strain's body was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, about 8 miles from downtown on Friday morning.
"No foul play-related trauma was observed," the local police wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The police scene in The Nations area of the city is a roughly an 11 minute-drive from Gay Street where Strain was last seen on camera near the James Robertson Parkway Bridge.
Brian Entin, a senior national correspondent for NewsNation, gave some context on how the police located Strain's body amid their search.
"Police say they received a call this morning from a worker who was removing an object from the river and noticed a body," he wrote in an X post. "Fire crews retrieved body from river and it was identified as Riley Strain. Strain still had the same shirt and watch on."
Newsweek reached out to the MNPD, but no further updates were available.
What's Next?
There are still unanswered questions surrounding Strain's final moments, but MNPD said that an autopsy is pending.
Strain's family has yet to speak out after his body was found. During the search, Strain's stepfather, Chris Whiteid said at a news conference: "We appreciate more than you'll ever know the outpouring that we've received from the community, from the press, and everyone else involved."
Update 3/22/24, 10:57 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 3/22/24, 11:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 3/22/24, 11:37 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect that MNPD was contacted for comment.
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