Missing college student Riley Strain’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River last Friday and was found without pants, cowboy boots, and his wallet.
A funeral was held Friday for Riley Strain, a college student whose body was found near a river after going missing in Nashville. Strain’s family is asking for a second independent autopsy report after questions were raised about the circumstances of his death.
Strain’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River last Friday and was found without pants, cowboy boots, and his wallet.
“There are no signs of foul play at this time,” Nashville police chief John Drake said when Strain’s body was discovered. “Mr. Strain still had the shirt on that he was wearing, still had the watch.”
There was allegedly no water found in Strain’s lungs, which experts say may be a sign that he was dead before his body entered the river.
The University of Missouri student was seen on surveillance video stumbling around Nashville after being kicked out of country star Luke Bryan’s bar. His body was found two weeks later in the Cumberland River eight miles downstream.
A spokesperson for Strain’s family told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports that the family has hired their own independent coroner.
“The family deserves more answers than we have,” the spokesperson said. “I think there’s somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night and we would love for them to come forward. We need some more info.”
Forensic pathologist Priya Banerjee says there could be several reasons other than foul play for why Strain’s body was found in the condition that it was.
“Did he voluntarily take them off? Did he try to swim out of the water? Did they just get knocked off given the turbulence of the water? The possibilities are limitless,” Banerjee says.
Final toxicology tests on Strain have not yet been completed.
