“There are no signs of foul play at this time,” Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake said.
A body pulled from a river has been identified by authorities as college student Riley Strain, who went missing after getting separated from his fraternity brothers as he left a bar intoxicated in Nashville.
Strain’s body surfaced early Friday morning in the Cumberland River eight miles downstream from where he was last seen alive.
“There are no signs of foul play at this time,” Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake said. “Mr. Strain still had the shirt on that he was wearing, still had the watch, and other identifying factors that helped us identify who he is.”
The 6-foot-7 University of Missouri senior was at country star Luke Bryant’s bar in Nashville on spring break as part of a trip with his fraternity. He was last seen on surveillance cameras wandering the city's streets alone.
Search teams focused on the Cumberland River after Strain’s credit card was found on the embankment by true crime TikTokers Brandy Baenen and her friend Anna.
Nashville police say Strain most likely fell into the river and drowned. Using his weight and height, police accurately calculated when his body might surface.
“Normally under these circumstances with his height and weight ... he could have surfaced between 14 and 20 days,” Drake said.
The news has brought grief and heartache to Strain’s family.
“Our hearts just go out to his parent right now as they are grieving. They were hoping for a miracle. They were hoping for Riley Strain to be found healthy and alive but unfortunately, that’s not the case here,” authorities said.
