Found Deceased TN - Riley Strain, 22, missing from a bar, Nashville, 8 March 2024

[Spartygirl]

Aside from abduction or deciding to start a new life, the only plausible explanation I can think of for him still being alive is perhaps he is concussed and has amnesia. Even then, I don't know how he would survive this many days without someone assisting him.

Sadly, I think he's deceased. Would love to be wrong, though.

Unfortunately, we have seen too many cases here with the same scenario and it ends up with them being found in the water, deceased.
I feel so sad for his parents , family and friends.

A young guy out partying with friends, having a good time and ends up on a Missing Person's case with a bad result.

It happens way too often.

 

[Imvp2]

This sounds like the friend in question decided on his own not to leave. I’ve never known a bar like this to force people to pay their tab before leaving. They’ll typically just close out the tab themselves, and you’ll have to pick up your card the next day.

Besides that, the level of concern couldn’t have been very high, as he wasn’t even discovered to be missing until many hours later, if I’m not mistaken.

My experience only with my college kids, they want their debit card back with them. For my kids, that's their source of funds. They're not going anywhere without it.

 

[SMK777]

Unfortunately, we have seen too many cases here with the same scenario and it ends up with them being found in the water, deceased.
I feel so sad for his parents , family and friends.

A young guy out partying with friends, having a good time and ends up on a Missing Person's case with a bad result.

It happens way too often.

I wonder why so many wind up in the water? I guess simply because it’s easy to stumble into water when you’re intoxicated?

 

[mythwrites]

I saw this article that interviewed some of the volunteer search team members and one of them stated they searched all down the river "almost to Rock Harbor", but around Rock Harbor is where they found Dakota Bingham 5 days after he went missing from almost exactly at the same place in the river. DB was on the east bank and not the west like RS. Do we know if any search teams have checked IN Rock Harbor?

"For about six hours, we went up and down the river, walked all the banks, went 14 miles downstream, and then came up almost to Rock Harbor," said search volunteer... (https://katv.com/news/nation-world/crews-search-nashville-cumberland-river-area-near-homeless-camp-for-missing-university-of-missouri-college-student-riley-strain-luke-bryan-bar-broadway-metro-police-department)

 

[DeDee]

Oh, I see. I actually thought they reported him missing that very night: I mistakenly saw 1:46 pm as 1:46 am. —eg he was kicked out of the bar at 9:35 pm and 4 hours later they called 911, which as I said in my above post seemed very quick to me, seeing as some friends and family I’ve known have waited 2-3 days to notice or care that someone is missing.

I'm not sure it's a mistake. The parents were called on Saturday by 10:30am. How does that fit in with the 911 call time being placed in the afternoon?

 

[SMK777]

I'm not sure it's a mistake. The parents were called on Saturday by 10:30am. How does that fit in with the 911 call time being placed in the afternoon?

You’re right. It doesn’t. Maybe the pm was a mistake, and it should have been am? A typo?

 

[MassGuy]

My experience only with my college kids, they want their debit card back with them. For my kids, that's their source of funds. They're not going anywhere without it.

But that scenario doesn’t hold water in the first place, as they didn’t even check to make sure he made it back when they returned to the hotel.

So they pay their tabs and then do nothing? I think they stayed, or went to another bar.

 

[Mert]

This sounds like the friend in question decided on his own not to leave. I’ve never known a bar like this to force people to pay their tab before leaving. They’ll typically just close out the tab themselves, and you’ll have to pick up your card the next day.

Besides that, the level of concern couldn’t have been very high, as he wasn’t even discovered to be missing until many hours later, if I’m not mistaken.

A bar local to me runs the card through the strip and immediately hands it back, although your tab remains open. There is a sign there, like others have mentioned, about an auto gratuity amount if you fail to close out before leaving, sign a receipt and indicate your chosen tip.
I figure large bars, like I assume this one is, use a similar system to avoid managing dozens of physical cards.

 

[MotherOcean]

This is my first post on Riley’s thread.

I haven’t been following any particular cases for awhile now but Riley’s has truly grabbed my attention and my heart! I have two sons near his age and one of them strongly resembles Riley. I’m thinking maybe that’s why I can’t stop thinking about this young man, his family, his friends, and him being found. I didn’t hear about him until a few days ago. I live in a neighboring state.

I’m always so thankful for Websleuths when I want to catch up and keep up with someone’s case. I know the discussion will be respectful and victim/family friendly.

I have been “hoping and praying” that Riley sought shelter of some sort as I read that it rained overnight that night. I had been thinking he may have passed out somewhere out of the rain. Sadly, today I’m considering it likely that he fell in to the river. I just watched the news report that stated a homeless person reported seeing Riley fall in to some bushes but that he got up and moved on. I didn’t hear it specified where the bushes are located. Another thing I’ve been considering is Nashville Metro Police putting out a media release a couple of days ago stating they are looking for a man who is wanted on outstanding warrants due to stealing from intoxicated individuals in the Broadway area. Thought the timing and location interesting with that but, to be clear, the press report made no mention of / nor connection to Riley’s story. It just occurred to me that the police often know the criminals in their precincts. That led me to look in to the overall crime going on in that area and it has been very eye opening.

Snipped: “Central Precinct detectives are working to locate a man wanted on nine outstanding warrants related to multiple thefts downtown. Joshua Ray Cloyd, 32, is alleged to have victimized intoxicated individuals on Lower Broadway by stealing their phones, wallets and credit cards.”

Detectives Working to Locate Wanted Downtown Thief

Central Precinct detectives are working to locate a man wanted on nine outstanding warrants related to multiple thefts downtown. Joshua Ray Cloyd, 32, is...

www.nashville.gov

I have read a lot of Riley’s pages here but not everything, so I’m not sure if this was shared but it was interesting to hear that the family is expecting 500 people from University of Missouri to come to Nashville this weekend to look for Riley and take him home. Found that encouraging!

Candlelit vigil held for missing college student

Crews are still combing through downtown Nashville looking for any signs of Riley Strain while a candlelight vigil is held in his Missouri hometown.

www.whsv.com

Praying for Riley and his family & friends.

 

[Mimimom]

But that scenario doesn’t hold water in the first place, as they didn’t even check to make sure he made it back when they returned to the hotel.

So they pay their tabs and then do nothing? I think they stayed, or went to another bar.

These are young guys, they were drinking, they may have thought he went to another room or met a girl and figured he'd be back in the morning.

 

[mythwrites]

500 people from University of Missouri to come to Nashville this weekend to look for Riley and take him home

That's awesome! I am hoping more manpower means more of a chance of getting him back with his family

 

[ATaco]

what’s interesting is that when he fell in the street he still was coherent enough to stand back up and get out of the street. While it’s very possible he stumbled and fell into water I’m not totally sold on this theory yet.
Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?
I wonder if someone could have offered him a ride and he got in a car? I know in other cities that has happened and didn’t end well.

 

[SMK777]

what’s interesting is that when he fell in the street he still was coherent enough to stand back up and get out of the street. While it’s very possible he stumbled and fell into water I’m not totally sold on this theory yet.
Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?
I wonder if someone could have offered him a ride and he got in a car? I know in other cities that has happened and didn’t end well.

Yes, it’s upsetting to think he might have gotten a ride and been robbed, because unfortunately robberies can end in murder.

It’s a horrible thought, but I recall many years ago seeing a story on Unsolved Mysteries about a college guy who vanished, and a girl who was friends with him filed a missing person’s report.

CCTV footage showed him at an ATM, with a partly obscured face behind him, as if he had been taken to the ATM at gunpoint or knifepoint. It was concluded that he’d been robbed, and then killed so there would be no witness. It struck me as just the most horrifying waste.

 

[MassGuy]

what’s interesting is that when he fell in the street he still was coherent enough to stand back up and get out of the street. While it’s very possible he stumbled and fell into water I’m not totally sold on this theory yet.
Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?
I wonder if someone could have offered him a ride and he got in a car? I know in other cities that has happened and didn’t end well.

I looked at the area on Google maps earlier. There are plenty of areas where he wouldn’t have to attempt to go over a railing, he simply could have fallen.

He’s drunk near water and his phone stops transmitting. That math works for me.

 

[whitelilac]

what’s interesting is that when he fell in the street he still was coherent enough to stand back up and get out of the street. While it’s very possible he stumbled and fell into water I’m not totally sold on this theory yet.
Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?
I wonder if someone could have offered him a ride and he got in a car? I know in other cities that has happened and didn’t end well.

The homeless encampment is under the bridge I believe. Riley was seen by two homeless people. I assume there in the camp. That camp is by the water. I'm thinking now that Riley may have tried to get back up to the road, but couldn't find the pathway up, or it was too steep for him in his state. I'm picturing the environment based on the videos we've seen.

So, did he try to go further along that shore and couldn't manage well because of the shrubbery, rocks, and whatever...difficult passage,... and that's when he fell in the water?

 

[MotherOcean]

That's awesome! I am hoping more manpower means more of a chance of getting him back with his family

Yes, that’s a huge number of helpers! I think there’s a lot going on in Nashville this weekend but I guess they were able to find lodging. I really want to remain hopeful that they will find him.

 

[Taffy550]

I am late to this story. He could have been drugged and followed. His gait does look strange. More like drugged than drunk to me. Jmoo. Sorry is this has already been brought up.

 

[em13]

what’s interesting is that when he fell in the street he still was coherent enough to stand back up and get out of the street. While it’s very possible he stumbled and fell into water I’m not totally sold on this theory yet.
Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?
I wonder if someone could have offered him a ride and he got in a car? I know in other cities that has happened and didn’t end well.

Anything’s possible. But to be fair, the fact he had even fallen like that in the first place from being so unsteady and disoriented is pretty indicative to me he wasn’t super coherent at that time. Sadly it’s just much more likely someone so close to a body of water while in that state will end up falling in IMO.

 

[mythwrites]

Wouldn’t he have to actually attempt to go over a railing?

Yes, in some places, but not necessarily. I know the area fairly well. There are definitely sections of high fencing but there are also spots along his potential path that would only have chest- or knee-height walls or barriers. And that's on someone who is not over 6' tall.

The spots that come to mind for me are the path along the riverfront, which would be after the third video footage, and over the James Robertson Bridge, where his cell phone last pinged. Also, the Gay St Connector actually runs underneath the bridges so depending on which path he took he could have been down closer to the water or over the water on either the JRP or Woodland bridge.

 

[acutename]

The homeless encampment is under the bridge I believe. Riley was seen by two homeless people. I assume there in the camp. That camp is by the water. I'm thinking now that Riley may have tried to get back up to the road, but couldn't find the pathway up, or it was too steep for him in his state. I'm picturing the environment based on the videos we've seen.

So, did he try to go further along that shore and couldn't manage well because of the shrubbery, rocks, and whatever...difficult passage,... and that's when he fell in the water?

does anyone know how much he actually drank? his BAC could have gone up after he was seen walking...

ABC of alcohol: Alcohol in the body - PMC​

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC543875



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