Missouri student Riley Strain was spotted at homeless camp causing a ‘commotion’ before vanishing in downtown Nashville
The last person believed to have seen missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain said he caused a “disturbance” at a homeless camp in Nashville, where the student’s bank card was found.
Strain, 22, was last seen on March 8 at Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway, owned by country superstar Luke Bryan, according to Metropolitan Nashville police.
The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a group trip for their annual spring dance when he was kicked out of the bar for unknown reasons around 10 p.m.
On Sunday, police confirmed that a bank card belonging to Strain was found on the embankment off Gay Street, a three-minute walk from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street where he was last seen on video.
“We heard a commotion. We looked up again. He almost fell over. The last bush there caught him,” said an unidentified man living in the camp WZTV.
Authorities continue to search for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain, who was last seen on March 8 at Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway
The last person believed to have seen missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain said he caused a ‘disturbance’ at a Nashville homeless camp (pictured) where the student’s bank card was found
A bank card belonging to Strain was found on the embankment off Gay Street, a three-minute walk from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street where he was last seen on video.
‘He was very drunk. “I’ve never seen anyone trip so hard,” the man said. ‘I shouted: get up. They said, “He’s just drunk. He’s fine.”
The Office of Emergency Management in Nashville deployed a dive team for the first time in their water searches on Saturday, but nothing conclusive was found.
It emerged on Friday that Luke, 32, was under investigation after allegedly serving him too much alcohol.
The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission said, “The TABC has opened an investigation into this matter to see if any violations occurred.”
In a statement from Luke’s 32 Bridge, they said: ‘We proactively provided detailed information quickly after his visit to our business.
“This included all security camera footage, photographs of Riley, transaction records and employee accounts.
“During Riley’s visit, our records show he purchased and received one alcoholic beverage and two waters.”
At 9:35 p.m., the bar said their security team had made the decision to escort him from the venue.
Police initially suggested Strain may have been overserved on Friday, when he and his friends entered the city and visited Luke’s 32 Bridge.
Surveillance footage released by Nashville police shows him wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road near the water.
He reportedly told his brothers from the Delta Chi fraternity that he would meet them back at their hotel, but he was nowhere to be found when the group returned from their night out.
The next morning, his fraternity brothers tried to find Strain through his Snapchat location, but were unsuccessful and called the police to report him missing.
His last cell phone location was recorded between Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway, close to the bar where he was last seen.
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 apparently drunk student, wearing a two-tone black and brown shirt and blue jeans, fell into the trap, then quickly got back up and continued walking down the street.
Another was captured near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10 p.m. taking long strides with his head down as he stumbled through the streets.
Additional surveillance footage released by Nashville police shows him wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road near the water.
“We feel like when he came out, because they had been to a few different places, he changed direction,” Strain’s stepfather Chris Whiteid said.
Strain’s family says they are living through a nightmare as they continue to search for him.
Footage shows the apparently drunk student, wearing a two-tone black and brown shirt and blue jeans, stumbling through the streets of downtown Nashville
The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mother earlier in the evening and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even though she knew he was out drinking.
The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mother earlier in the evening and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even though she knew he was out drinking.
His mother, Michelle Whiteid, said he is “a great kid” and normally “very communicative.”
“We miss him and we want him back so bad,” she told WKRN. “He’s always texting me, calling me, Facetimeting me,” she added. ‘He’s always in touch with me. He is very communicative.’
In a call for information on Riley’s whereabouts, Nashville Metro police described him as 6 feet tall, weighing 165 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 615-862-8600.