Riley Strain, a University of Missouri senior, disappeared in Nashville one week ago.
The student was visiting the city for his fraternity’s spring formal trip, and was reportedly kicked out of country singer Luke Bryan’s 32BRIDGEbar just before 10pm on 8 March.
His friends attempted to find him after he left the bar, but by 1.40am, found no trace of him. They then called the police to report him missing.
Since then, police have led a search of the surrounding region – including the waters and banks of the nearby Cumberland River – in hopes of finding the missing student.
The following is a timeline of the disappearance of Riley Strain.
8 March: Mr Strain, a native of Springfield, Missouri, and his friends are in Nashville and visit 32BRIDGE, a bar owned by country music star Luke Bryan. Sometime between 9.30pm and 9.50pm, Mr Strain is escorted from the bar. His stepfather, Chris Whiteid, alleges that Mr Strain was overserved. The bar later says he was removed based on “our conduct standards,” and reveals that he was only served a single alcoholic drink and two waters.
Earlier that night, Mr Strain had a video call with his mother, and told her he had visited two other bars before visiting 32BRIDGE.
After Mr Strain left the bar, he spoke with his friends on the phone and told them he would meet them at the Tempo Hotel, where the group was staying. However, security footage from 9.45pm shows him walking in the opposite direction of the hotel. In the footage, he appears to be stumbling and holding his head.
At some point Mr Strain is spotted by a police officer. The moment is caught on bodycam footage, which the Metro Nashville Police release on 18 March. In the footage, the officer greets Mr Strain and asks him how he’s doing. Mr Strain says he’s fine, and continues walking.
He is caught by another security camera, near Gay Street, two minutes after he is first caught on surveillance video. It is the last video footage to capture images of Mr Strain before his disappearance.
Life360, a location sharing app Mr Strain had installed on his phone, tracked him to a few blocks north of Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway, near the Cumberland River, around 9.53pm. His route continued to take him further away from his hotel.
Between 10 and 10.30pm, Mr Strain’s phone pings near Public Square Park, which is located near the Cumberland River, according to FOX17. This is the last signal sent from his phone.
9 March: Mr Strain’s friends learn he did not make it back to the hotel, and begin searching for him. At 1.46pm, they report Mr Strain missing.
10 March – 11 March: Police search for Mr Strain. Officers told local news outlets that they started by checking local hospitals and jails to see if Mr Strain was picked up by police or had been injured and transported for medical treatment.
Their searches fail to turn up any information on Mr Strain’s whereabouts.
12 March: Police begin searching the Cumberland River for any sign of Mr Strain. Surveillance footage shows he was near the river before his phone died.
A Metropolitan Nashville Police Department helicopter, a drone, and boats with sonar devices are used to search the waters and the banks of the river for Mr Strain. The search does not yield any new information.
Luke Bryan, the owner of 32BRIDGE, acknowledges Mr Strain’s disappearance in an Instagram post.
“Y’all this is scary. Praying for his safe return,” he wrote, noting that the restaurant group that operates the bar is working with police.
13 March: The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission announces it is investigating whether or not Mr Strain had been served alcohol while visibly intoxicated at 32BRIDGE.
A vigil is held for Mr Strain in Springfield, Missouri.
14 March: Police continue to search the river for Mr Strain.
During a 2pm press conference, police reveal that homeless residents at two encampments near the Cumberland River confirmed that they saw Mr Strain on the night he disappeared. They were unsure as to where he went after they spotted him.
Police also stated on Thursday that there was no indication of any kind of foul play or criminal activity tied to Mr Strain’s disappearance.
Search crews continued to look for Mr Strain in and around the Cumberland River.
17 March: A pair of TikTokers searching for Mr Strain find his bank card among brush and garbage on the bank of the Cumberland River. Police determine that no purchases were made on the card after Mr Strain went missing.
A body is discovered floating in the Cumberland River. However, police determine the body does not match Mr Strain’s description, and the search continues.
18 March: Nashville police release bodycamera footage showing an interaction between Mr Strain and a police officer on the night of his disappearance. The officer asks Mr Strain how he’s doing, and Mr Strain replies that he is fine before continuing to walk down the street. The interaction occurs on Gay Street just minutes after he was removed from 32BRIDGE. In the footage Mr Strain appears to be fine and not in distress, though later surveillance footage shows him stumbling and holding his head.
19 March: Mr Strain’s friend, Chris Dingman, told News Nation that the final test sent from his phone before his disappearance was a reply to a woman he’d been speaking with. She asked him how he was doing and if he was having fun, to which he reportely replied “Good lops.” It’s unclear what the text meant.