The body of missing student Riley Strain has been found in a river in Nashville, weeks after he disappeared after being kicked out of Luke Bryan's honky-tonk bar.
The University of Missouri student had been visiting Music City with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers when he vanished on March 8.
He had been asked to leave Luke's 32 Bridge bar for being intoxicated and was seen on surveillance footage walking around the city, leading to a widespread search.
Tragically, it has now been confirmed that his body was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville.
Metropolitan Nashville Police wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown."
They added that "no foul play-related trauma was observed," but that "an autopsy is pending."
Widespread searches had taken place to locate the 6'7" finance major, and while he was captured on surveillance footage making his way through the city, only his bank card was found on March 17 on the embankment of the river, with police confirming it hadn't been used since he went missing.
Strain had been escorted out of the bar by security after purchasing one alcoholic drink and two drinks of water, with the bar sharing that security had made the decision based on its "conduct standards".
Strain was escorted from the venue through "our Broadway exit at the front of our building" at 9:35 PM, with the bar adding: "He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs."
Strain had told his friends he was going to head back to their room at the Tempo by Hilton, around five blocks from the bar, but never returned.
He was seen on camera crossing Gay Street around 9:47 PM, around a 17-minute walk in the opposite direction from his hotel, according to Nashville police.
Strain was also seen on bodycam footage talking to Nashville police officer Reginald Young, who was in the area investigating a reported vehicle burglary.
The pair shared a brief interaction in which Young asked Strain how he was doing, to which the student responded: "Good," and did not appear to be distressed.
A local homeless man also reported seeing Strain looking "very, very intoxicated" and nearly falling over the edge of a trail into the Cumberland River.
He was last seen on surveillance camera on Gay Street at 9:52 PM with police adding: "No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay St. after the 9:52 PM timeframe."
Strain's friends reported him missing around four hours later at 1:35 AM when they returned home and saw he wasn't in his room, with police adding that his phone had last pinged between 10 and 10:30 PM in the area of Public Square Park, near the sheriff’s office and the Cumberland River.
His final text message was sent to a girl he had been seeing after she'd messaged on the night of his disappearance "to see how he was doing", to which he replied: "Good lops", leaving people confused what he'd meant.
Our thoughts remain with Strain's loved ones at this heartbreaking time.
