The body of University of Missouri student Riley Strain, who went missing earlier this month after being kicked out of a Nashville bar while on a trip with fraternity brothers, was found Friday in a river, police said.
“Riley Strain’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown,” Nashville Metropolitan Police wrote to X.
No foul play is suspected, but an autopsy has been ordered, police said.
A worker at a company located near the river, clearing debris from the shoreline, found a body floating in the water near 61st Avenue North around 7:30 a.m. and notified authorities.
The fire department worked quickly to remove the body from the water before cops confirmed it was the 22-year-old several hours later.
Police Chief John Drake told reporters that Strain was wearing the same shirt, watch and “other identifying items” that initially led investigators to believe they had found the missing student.
His body was discovered exactly two weeks after he was last seen.
Stam was visiting Music City with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers when he disappeared after leaving country star Luke Bryan’s bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, on March 8.
Over the next two weeks, authorities followed a trail of phone calls and grainy surveillance footage, even finding a bank card in his name on the riverbank earlier this week.
The 6-foot-7 financial mogul bought one alcoholic drink and two glasses of water during his visit to the watering hole, according to TC Restaurant Group — operator and owner of Luke’s 32 Bridge.
The bar said security decided to eject Strain from the nightclub based on their “standards of conduct” due to Strain’s behavior, escorting him from the venue through the Broadway exit at the front of the building at 9:35 p.m.
“He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The man with Riley didn’t come out and went back upstairs.
Strain told his friends he would meet them in their room at the Tempo by Hilton, about five blocks from the bar.
But Strain never came back.
He appears to have been caught on surveillance footage crossing Gay Street at around 9.47pm after leaving the bar – about a 17-minute walk from Luke 32 Bridge and in the opposite direction of the hotel. according to Nashville police.
He was then spotted on Nashville Police Officer Reginald Young’s body camera walking down Gay Street, the department published of X.
Young, who was in the area investigating a reported vehicle burglary, briefly interacted with Strain, asking him how he was doing, to which the Missouri senior replied, “Fine.”
Strain didn’t appear to be in trouble during their brief interaction.
A local homeless man claims he saw a “very, very drunk” strain almost fall over the edge of a path into the Cumberland River.
Police say Strain was last seen on Gay Street at 9:52 p.m., but shared that “No video has been found showing Riley away from Gay St. after the 21:52 time frame.”
Strain wasn’t reported missing until about four hours after he was escorted off the Luke 32 bridge, at 1:35 a.m., when a friend returned to the hotel to find him not in the room.
What we know about the mysterious disappearance of Riley Strain
The last time his phone rang between 10 and 10:30 p.m public square park area, located near the Sheriff’s Office and the Cumberland River.
A girl with whom Strain was romantically involved said she texted him the night he disappeared “to see how he was doing” on the trip.
His Delta Chi fraternity brother, Chris Dingman, said the girl received a strange “script” from Strain that said “Good things.”
Dingman said the girl had trouble understanding what the text meant and resorted to Googling its meaning.
Strain’s fraternity brother noted that the lyrics highlighted his friend’s mental state that night.
On March 17, police found Stein’s bank card on the riverbank, but the card had not been used since he disappeared.
As the search intensified, the United Cajun Navy — a nonprofit organization that helps organize search and rescue during natural disasters — joined the effort.
After Strain’s body was found, the group gave up their search, later taking to Facebook to thank those who had lent a hand.
“We regret that the search for Riley Strain did not have a happy ending, but often closure trumps the unknown,” the band’s statement read in part.
“Riley’s family has a chance to bring him home and say goodbye in their own way.”
The United Cajun Navy did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
In a statement provided to The Post on Friday, Delta Chi Fraternity spoke fondly of its deceased brother.
“The Delta Chi fraternity is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our esteemed fraternity brother, Riley Strain,” it read.
“Our hearts go out to Riley’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time as we work to provide support and resources to everyone affected by this tragedy.”
Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, and his mother, Michelle Whiteid, who tearfully told reporters earlier this week that they hoped her son would be found alive, could not be reached for comment Friday.