Riley Strain's mom has opened up about her final interactions with her son before he went missing, stating that he sent concerning texts about his drinks.
Strain, a University of Missouri student, was found on Friday, March 22, weeks after his disappearance following an incident at a honky-tonk bar where he was asked to leave on March 8.
Metropolitan Nashville Police announced the recovery of Strain's body from the Cumberland River in West Nashville, approximately 8 miles from downtown, via X.
They stated: "The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown."
The finance major was last seen around 10:00PM on March 8, moments after being asked to leave the Nashville bar and becoming separated from his friends. Surveillance footage captured him roaming the city streets after leaving the bar.
Despite extensive search efforts, Strain remained missing for weeks, with only his bank card initially found near the Cumberland River in Nashville more than a week after his disappearance.
According to reports from WKRN, the preliminary autopsy findings concluded that Strain's death was "accidental" with no signs of foul play.
Michelle Whiteid, Strain's mother, has shared the final messages from her son, shedding light on the night he vanished, in an exclusive interview with NewsNation.
According to Whiteid, her 22-year-old son texted her about an unsettling experience with his drink.
"He ordered a rum and coke, but it 'didn’t taste good'," she recounted. "I go, 'Well that sounds awful'," she recalled, to which he replied: "Well, it sounds good, but it’s not."
The worrying texts have left Whiteid grappling with troubling questions. "Maybe there was something in it that shouldn’t have been," Whiteid said.
Eyewitnesses and surveillance footage depict Strain as "very, very intoxicated" as he stumbled around after being ejected from the bar.
Despite investigators ruling out foul play and attributing his death to accidental causes in a preliminary autopsy report, doubts linger among the grieving family members.
"If he fell and truly fell in the water, and you can prove that to me, show me. I’ll accept it," said his stepfather, Chris Whiteid. "But I can tell you from all the stuff that we’ve done... I don’t feel like it’s really possible that happened. He may have fallen, but someone helped him in the water."
The family's suspicions have led them to request a second autopsy, particularly after it was revealed that Strain had no water in his lungs, a typical finding in drowning cases.
Our thoughts continue to be with Strain's loved ones during this time.
