Riley Strain’s family have ordered a second, private autopsy on the college student’s body amid continuing questions after he was pulled from the Cumberland River on March 22. A spokesman for the family has cast doubt on the preliminary findings, saying Strain’s family “deserves more answers than we have.”
What Happened to Riley Strain?
Strain disappeared in Nashville on the night of March 8, after going out to several Nashville bars with his college fraternity brothers. He was last seen at Luke Bryan‘s downtown bar, where a bartender asked him to leave after saying Strain appeared to have been “overserved.”
Strain told his friends he would walk back to their hotel by himself, but surveillance footage showed him walking the wrong way after leaving the bar. More footage showed him appearing to walk erratically and stumble into a pole, and he was also seen interacting with police before disappearing altogether. Reports from two homeless encampments placed him nearby prior to his death, according to his family.
After a two-week search involving authorities, friends and Strain’s family, his body was discovered on March 22 in the Cumberland River.
Was There Foul Play in Riley Strain’s Death?
After preliminary autopsy results came back, a Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson told the Tennessean newspaper that there were no signs of foul play in Strain’s death. Toxicology results are still pending.
Why Are Riley Strain’s Family Getting a Second Autopsy?
Strain family spokesperson Chris Dingman tells NewsNation that the 22-year-old University of Missouri senior was not wearing his pants or cowboy boots when his body was recovered, and his wallet was missing.
Coupled with the absence of water in his lungs, the family have questions about the official story.
“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Dingman said in an interview on Wednesday (March 27). “The family deserves more answers than we have.”
“Usually, water in the lungs means that they were alive when they went into the water,” Dingman adds. He also points to the fact that police are still working to interview some potential witnesses, including those from nearby homeless camps.
“I think there’s somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night,” Dingman states.
Strain’s mother, father and stepfather all expressed gratitude for the support they’d received during a press conference after his body was recovered.
“I just ask that you mamas out there hug your babies tight tonight, please,” Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, said. “Please for me, hug your babies tight tonight. And again thank you. Thank you for sharing our story.”
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes