Riley Strain’s cause of death revealed as autopsy report is published
Riley Strain’s cause of death has been revealed following the publication of his autopsy report.
The University of Missouri student disappeared on March 8 while on a pub crawl with his friends in Nashville. Two weeks later he was found dead in a river, after a massive manhunt.
It has now emerged that he died of alcohol poisoning and drowning. News channel Nashville reports.
The 22-year-old’s blood alcohol level was 0.228, three times the legal limit.
His system also contained traces of Delta 9, a form of THC that is legal and readily available in Tennessee. The report ruled his death an accident.
A two-week search for Strain ended when workers found his body in the Cumberland River, eight miles from where he disappeared
Police had previously ruled out foul play, but his parents had been fighting for answers since his disappearance.
The bar he was kicked out of on the night of his death stated that it only sold Strain one alcoholic drink before asking him to leave.
The Delta Chi member was sitting at the bar with his fraternity brothers traveling for their annual spring dance when he was kicked out just after 9:30 p.m.
Strain had told his friends he would meet them again at their hotel, but was nowhere to be seen when the group returned from their night out.
His friends tried to contact him but received no response and they reported Strain as missing because they could not locate him through his Snapchat location.
The mystery of his disappearance only deepened after chilling images emerged of Strain staggering through the city hours before his death.
Despite this, no cameras captured his fall or placed him near the Cumberland River where his body was found.
The student reportedly FaceTimed his mother Michelle Whiteid that evening and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Strain, 22, was last seen Friday evening at Luke Bryan’s establishment on Broadway, wearing a two-tone black and brown shirt and blue jeans.
Michelle Strain Whiteid, the heartbroken mother of Riley Strain, broke her silence at a news conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he disappeared in Nashville
His parents previously said police had called off the investigation into his disappearance because more clues seemed to be coming from the public than from officers.
The parents’ criticism of police comes after TikTokers found a crucial piece of evidence that investigators failed to uncover a week after Strain’s disappearance.
Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen had been searching through trash along the riverbank when they found Strain’s bank card.
News of the autopsy report comes just days after his heartbroken parents bravely walked onto the stage at the University of Missouri and accepted Strain’s diploma from the Mizzou College of Arts and Science.
His mother cried and held his diploma skyward as the students cheered in his honor with a standing ovation.
Although the family had previously criticized police, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy.
Riley Strain, 22, disappeared while on a bar crawl with his friends in Nashville and was found dead two weeks later. His parents accepted his diploma from the University of Missouri in his honor
“It’s just incredible what they’ve done for us,” Gilbert said.
Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for helping him find Riley.
“To the people of Nashville, I cannot thank you enough for the support, love and encouragement you have shown myself and my wife,” Chris said.
‘It was an emotional rollercoaster. We are very grateful for everything you have done for our family. The grace you have given us means much, more than you will ever know.”