Found Deceased TN - Riley Strain, 22, missing after leaving bar, Nashville, 8 March 2024 #2

[AppleTreeGreen]

Thinking more about his credit card being found and the debris/trash in that area, I wonder if he was taking his phone out to look at it or call someone and while distracted, tripped and fell down that steep embankment and into water below? Perhaps in the process of getting his phone from his pocket his card fell out or perhaps his phone fell down the embankment and he slipped or was injured in the process of trying to retrieve it?

He might have already been experiencing head pain since it looked like he hit his head pretty hard when he fell the first time. I could imagine his foot or ankle might have hurt since his foot appeared to have been caught on a small speed bumb possibly? Perhaps that the pain or subsequent nose bleed, dizziness or nausea caused the notable change in his gait as he walks bent over in one of the videos? I can’t imagine the pain his loved felt watching it.

I also remember having a friend who while intoxicated also slammed her head against concrete stairs once and she lost consciousness for hours. (Fortunately, a classmate had a car with them and took her to the hospital while everyone waited for her to regain consciousness). However, perhaps something similar and very quickly also sadly occurred to Riley Strain while he was alone near the river.

I do hope his family receives the support and answers they deserve during this terrifying time for them.

 

[whitelilac]

Thinking more about his credit card being found and the debris/trash in that area, I wonder if he was taking his phone out to look at it or call someone and while distracted, tripped and fell down that steep embankment and into water below? Perhaps in the process of getting his phone from his pocket his card fell out or perhaps his phone fell down the embankment and he slipped or was injured in the process of trying to retrieve it?

He might have already been experiencing head pain since it looked like he hit his head pretty hard when he fell the first time. I could imagine his foot or ankle might have hurt since his foot appeared to have been caught on a small speed bumb possibly? Perhaps that the pain or subsequent nose bleed, dizziness or nausea caused the notable change in his gait as he walks bent over in one of the videos? I can’t imagine the pain his loved felt watching it.

I also remember having a friend who while intoxicated also slammed her head against concrete stairs once and she lost consciousness for hours. Perhaps something similar and very quickly also sadly occurred to Riley Strain while near the river.

I do hope his family receives the support and answers they deserve during this terrifying time for them.

He may also have tried to use his phone as a flashlight. I imagine it was very dark down there compared to the sidewalk above.

 

[Jemma]

I posted this before and so apologies to those who have already seen it - he was found 15 miles downstream and had been moved this distance by the river in about 5 days. Riley could be even further downstream by now or hung up underwater on some debris.

Autopsy: Dakota Bingham found in river died as result of drowning (tennessean.com)

thank you!

 

[heartandsoul]

Except he was out, not driving, but walking around for a while. This could have been prevented. For one, the bar should have a requirement, that they either get them an Uber , or an escort home. That’s not too much to ask, IMO.

And when that intoxicated person is then assaulted and/or murdered by the driver the bar had arranged to take them home, what then?

I’ve been following this case, and it is desperately sad and tragically predictable. I hope he is found soon.

 

[Van Helsing]

No issue here, either, just trying to understand and ask questions! There have been lots of additional folks involved since he went missing, including the Cajun Navy, non-profits, individuals, and now, additional police departments in other counties. Is there a reason they shouldn't be following normal missing persons procedures?

I'm just thinking some cases should be treated differently, sort of like the way hospitals triage mass casualty events. RS's situation seems to beg for a quick response (young intoxicated visitor on foot disappears in a small very popular tourist area). But, I'm sure most cities would probably handle it the same way these days.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Hotels are already doing that with airport shuttles -- arrivals and departures. Just consider expanding that service. Maybe each hotel who wants to participate offer shuttle service to clubs and back -- they can simply charge the service like they do room service. Make sure each hotel guest is given a card with phone number very boldly, plainly written, and bar employees be encouraged to call the number if requested or if guest is really bombed. Guests are charged only if service is used.

I can also see this as a good advertising point for each hotel that participates. In Knoxville and Atlanta, there are already hotels who provide pickup and parking services for people who want to leave vehicles cheaper than long-term parking at the airport.

Another possibility would be a bus system. A private company could put something together or participating hotels could collectively buy buses which have regular rounds each evening. Each bar / restaurant have a backdoor (preferably with easy vehicle access) where over-indulging guests can wait quietly for the bus and where the bus (wouldn't you have to love those drivers though?) could pick up guests then make the round of hotels for drop off and back again.

Now, I personally suggest vehicles that can be hosed out each day and dry out in time for the evening rush.

I can see that as a good selling point for hotels when they advertise.

I am a pessimist- all well intentioned but might backfire and and encourage people to get even more drunk.

How about a breathalyzer to buy a drink? Above 0.08 you have to wait

 

[Megnut]

Series of unfortunate events....

Chain reaction that could have had any number of better outcomes...

Leaving the bar
Leaving alone
Going the wrong way
Presence of the cop

Which may have motivated him to leave the path....
If he'd been drinking copious beer/drinks and water, might have needed to relieve himself...
Happened to be near an encampment
Received a text from his new girlfriend
Which may have resulted in pulling his phone out of his pocket (and the credit card falling out)
Searching for his card, relieving himself, steering wide of the cop -- any of these could have resulted in a loss of balance

A loss of balance coupled with a dulled thinking and slowed reaction time/coordination might have been all it took to stumble and land in the water. Unprepared for it, a rapid inhale of water could be game over.

If any one of those things were different, he'd be alive and never lost.

Scary really. That we can be one step away from one turn too far.

JMO

 

[mythwrites]

I'm just thinking some cases should be treated differently, sort of like the way hospitals triage mass casualty events. RS's situation seems to beg for a quick response (young intoxicated visitor on foot disappears in a small very popular tourist area). But, I'm sure most cities would probably handle it the same way these days.

Makes sense. I don't disagree at all. It's very frustrating, but yeah I think it's pretty standard.

 

[SMK777]

If any one of those things were different, he'd be alive and never lost.

Scary really. That we can be one step away from one turn too far.

My thoughts exactly. The Fates were not with poor Riley that night. Whatever could go wrong, did.

 

[Colombo247]

P

I'd been thinking this as well - just waiting for someone to post photos/video as I'd only seen them from unapproved sources. The trees, trash, underbrush, and (at some places at least) retaining wall make me question if anyone could end up in the water unintentionally. It doesn't seem like one could "tumble" very far in this terrain.

[Sorry - link didn't carry over from the last thread!]

Probably depends on the point of entry. Some of the hillside is rocky, other parts are brush, but steep, at least from the video I saw, last night. Apparently, the river was higher and faster at the time Riley went missing. Now, Day 9 (?), river search with divers and cadaver dogs. I'm sure they can estimate how far downstream those river conditions would have taken someone, if they fell into the river. Last night on News Nation, one person reported hearing a woman's voice talking to Riley above the riverbank. If true, I'm sure police are seeking the identity of the person. So far, this appears to be another botched police investigation, so several days passed before police-public begin to work together. This is the part of the investigation/ search process that needs correcting. No reason for this type of delay, especially after receiving the parents and friends missing person's report.

 

[libraryg]

I get it but they were making the rounds of country and western style bars and the cowboy boots fit the ticket. People who never wear cowboys on a regular basis can cripple themselves pretty quickly. We have this annual multi-day country band festival in Ontario called Boots and Hearts and you see thousands of young girls walking around on day one wearing boots and short frilly dresses. The next day they are hobbling around wearing boots and short frilly dresses.

I made the mistake of wearing a pair of broke in Frye boots to a fall festival last year. Learned my lesson!~

 

[CHEL]

 

[Van Helsing]

Thinking more about his credit card being found and the debris/trash in that area, I wonder if he was taking his phone out to look at it or call someone and while distracted, tripped and fell down that steep embankment and into water below? Perhaps in the process of getting his phone from his pocket his card fell out or perhaps his phone fell down the embankment and he slipped or was injured in the process of trying to retrieve it?

He might have already been experiencing head pain since it looked like he hit his head pretty hard when he fell the first time. I could imagine his foot or ankle might have hurt since his foot appeared to have been caught on a small speed bumb possibly? Perhaps that the pain or subsequent nose bleed, dizziness or nausea caused the notable change in his gait as he walks bent over in one of the videos? I can’t imagine the pain his loved felt watching it.

I also remember having a friend who while intoxicated also slammed her head against concrete stairs once and she lost consciousness for hours. Perhaps something similar and very quickly also sadly occurred to Riley Strain while near the river.

I do hope his family receives the support and answers they deserve during this terrifying time for them.

He may also have been trying to retrieve the credit card and slipped or tripped on the slope. It had been raining so it may have been muddy. I don't know if his boots were cowboy boots, but those typically have small contact areas, which would make slipping and sliding more likely (I've seen people try to walk on ice in cowboy boots!)

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770543981883003310

 

[SMK777]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770543981883003310

This has to be torture for his mother. I hope he gets found soon.
Thanks for the update.

 

[MarcieM]

Could he have purposely went to that park for a reason that night? Could he have been meeting someone?? In the video footage, even though intoxicated, it looked to me like he was moving along with a purpose.

 

[Arkay]

I agree with those who feel that most of the onus to keep a customer safe should be on the customer and not on the bar owner or staff.

It just doesn’t seem feasible to me that bars or any establishment, other than after a medical procedure, should be responsible for a customer getting home safely. How would that work logistically when there are thousands upon thousands of bar customers in various states of intoxication?

It’s a very push-pull situation, I would think. The bar wants to sell alcohol and the customer wants to consume alcohol. The customers are adults. They are voluntarily frequenting a business that they know will affect their reasoning and their physical well-being.

That’s a choice.

I know this isn’t a very good analogy, but when I buy several cartons of cigarettes, the store clerk does not refuse me because it’s dangerous for my health. In NYC a carton of cigarettes costs $150. They want my money, I want cigarettes, and they will never say “Arkay, you’re cut off.”

Or another imperfect example—-if someone is morbidly obese and orders very unhealthy food in a restaurant, an over-abundant amount perhaps, no restaurant owner is going to kick that person out because they will be blamed if the patron has a heart attack or stroke.

We make our own choices, like my taste for cigarettes, and I have to deal with those consequences, not the vendor.

I hate hate hate that this happened to Riley. Other than whatever choices he made, IMO the friends that came together should always leave together. Then you don’t have one very vulnerable person meeting with disaster. Even if Riley was unaware of how much he’d had to drink, he would’ve gotten safely back to his hotel, and this would be just a story to tell his grandchildren someday.

JMO

 

[SMK777]

Could he have purposely went to that park for a reason that night? Could he have been meeting someone?? In the video footage, even though intoxicated, it looked to me like he was moving along with a purpose.

It’s possible. He did seem very intent on looking at his phone.

 

[MassGuy]

Could he have purposely went to that park for a reason that night? Could he have been meeting someone?? In the video footage, even though intoxicated, it looked to me like he was moving along with a purpose.

I don’t think so. He didn’t plan on leaving that bar until he was forced to, and he even tried to enter another bar afterwards. I think he was just lost, which is easy to do when you’re really drunk in an unfamiliar area.

 

[SMK777]

I know this isn’t a very good analogy, but when I buy several cartons of cigarettes, the store clerk does not refuse me because it’s dangerous for my health. In NYC a carton of cigarettes costs $150. They want my money, I want cigarettes, and they will never say “Arkay, you’re cut off.”

Or another imperfect example—-if someone is morbidly obese and orders very unhealthy food in a restaurant, an over-abundant amount perhaps, no restaurant owner is going to kick that person out because they will be blamed if the patron has a heart attack or stroke.

Your point is extremely well taken.

The only argument I have is that neither cigarettes nor high-fat food is going to kill you right after the transaction.

With extreme inebriation, you are one stagger from getting smashed by a bus.

But then, Riley wasn’t served further, so they did take the responsibility to cut him off, and the next bar he went to refused him entry.