Police have confirmed that the body of missing Missouri student Riley Strain has been, found two weeks after he disappeared.
In a statement, police in Nashville confirmed that a body pulled from the Cumberland River this morning was that of the missing 22-year-old.
Authorities said that no foul play-related trauma was observed on Strain, who was last seen on March 8 after being kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink.
The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a trip for their annual spring formal when he was kicked out of the bar just after 9:30 p.m.
Earlier this week, his bank card was found near the Cumberland River and rescue teams were also seen scouring a dam miles from where he was last spotted.
Strain had told his friends that he would meet them back at their hotel, but was nowhere to be seen when the group returned from their night out.
The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a trip for their annual spring formal when he was kicked out of the bar just after 9:30 p.m
Authorities said that no foul play-related trauma was observed on Strain, who was last seen on March 8
His friends tried contacting him, but received no response and they reported Strain as missing as they failed to locate him via his Snapchat location.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Chief John Drake told reporters: ‘This morning around 7:28 am we received a call from a worker.
‘As they were removing an object from the river, they noticed what appeared to be Riley Strain pop up.
‘The medical examiners officer reviewed the body and confirmed that it is Riley Strain.
‘The family have been contacted, there are no signs of foul play at this time according to the examination here at the riverbank.
‘Mr Strain still had the shirt on that he was wearing, still had the watch. I want to say to the family my heart and prayers go out to you all for this very unfortunate and tragic incident.’
Surveillance footage collected by police from Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church Street.
The seemingly intoxicated student was wearing a two-toned black and brown shirt and blue jeans and took a tumble, then quickly got back up and continued down the street.
Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10pm taking large strides with his head down as he stumbled through the streets.
The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mom Michelle Whiteid that evening, and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
His mom and stepfather Chris Whiteid have been in the city since the search began, with Chris telling reporters earlier this week that the family had started preparing for the worst.
Whiteid said: ‘Put yourself in our shoes. Everybody knows it. Everybody’s thinking it. Those conversations are starting to happen. It’s not what we want.
‘And I understand that people want to know what we’re feeling. We’re feeling frustrated, we’re feeling hurt, we’re feeling depressed. Nobody knows what happened to Riley.’
Michelle Strain Whiteid, left, and her husband, Chris Whiteid, speak to the media during a press conference earlier this week
Strain, 22, was last seen on March 8 at Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department
Surveillance footage released by the Nashville police show him wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road near the water
His parents previously said cops butchered the investigation into his disappearance, as more clues seem to have come from the public than officers.
The parents’ criticism of the cops comes after TikTokers found a crucial piece of evidence that investigators failed to discover over a week after Strain went missing.
Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen, had been rummaging through trash along the riverbank when they located Strain’s bank card.
‘My stomach dropped,’ Clendening said, describing the moment she turned over the card to reveal Strain’s name. ‘My innate reaction was to be like, ‘Let’s keep looking.’
Officers have since defended their search efforts. ‘When we start a missing person investigation, we’re looking for a person. We’re not looking for small pieces of evidence,’ Sgt. Robert Nielsen said during a press conference.
‘Can we miss somethings? Sure. But our primary goal is to find Mr. Strain and bring him home safely.
Police previous shared footage on X showing Strain walking along the sidewalk past an officer, who appeared to be inspecting a car with a smashed window.
Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10 p.m. taking large strides with his head down
Officers had been scouring the Cumberland River and a dam in the search for Strain
In a post to their social media on Friday morning, the United Cajun Navy ordered all personnel to ‘clear all channels and stand down’ shortly after news of a body being recovered broke
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) shared a video on Tuesday showing one of their helicopters flying over the Cheatham Dam.
WTVF reported that officers had the dam shut down to inspect any debris that floated up to the surface, but did not find anything related to Strain.
David Flagg, director of operations for the United Cajun Navy, told the outlet: ‘Somehow, Riley may have fallen into the river and was swept away by the current. The current was very, very swift on the day that he disappeared.’
In a post to their social media on Friday morning, the United Cajun Navy ordered all personnel to ‘clear all channels and stand down’ shortly after news of a body being recovered broke.