Found Deceased TN - Riley Strain, 22, missing after leaving bar, Nashville, 8 March 2024 #4

[moonriverfarm]

Media, Maps and Timeline Thread *NO DISCUSSION*

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[MadMcGoo]

PLEASE stay on topic.
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[Sillybilly]

Please continue discussion here.

 

[Babylon Sister]

"Investigators found no evidence to conclude any wrongdoing."

Riley Strain was not overserved alcohol on the night of his disappearance, investigation finds

An investigation found there was no proof that University of Missouri student Riley Strain was overserved alcohol on the night of his disappearance.

www.wfsb.com

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 27, 2024

Investigation finds Riley Strain was not overserved alcohol on night of disappearance

Investigators found no evidence to conclude any wrongdoing.

www.wsmv.com

The TABC reviewed a mass of evidence related to Strain’s alcohol purchases in Downtown Nashville on March 8 – the night he went missing and fell from an embankment into the Cumberland River. TABC spokesman Aaron Rummage said in a statement the TABC followed every evidentiary lead, including purchase records, interviews with witnesses, and “scrutinized extensive video footage provided by businesses from that evening.”

Investigators found no evidence to conclude any wrongdoing.

“While the circumstances of Mr. Strain’s death are tragic, the TABC investigation into whether he was served alcohol while visibly intoxicated on the night of March 8, 2024, did not result in any concrete evidence in the form of eyewitness testimony or video proof of a violation,” Rummage said. “Evidence including toxicology reports demonstrate that Mr. Strain became intoxicated over the course of the evening, but there is no clear evidence that he was served an alcoholic beverage while visibly intoxicated at a licensed premises.”

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 27, 2024

State: Riley Strain not visibly drunk or overserved by Luke Bryan's Nashville bar

Investigators determined Riley Strain was not overserved by Luke Bryan's bar on the night he went missing.

www.tennessean.com

[...]

"It appears overserving to a visibly intoxicated person did not occur to Riley Strain during his visits to all (four) premises," the report said. "Mr. Strain remained stable on his feet with no visible signs of overserving."

[...]

Investigators with TABC interviewed three of Strain's friends, who were with him on the trip.

[...]

When the group walked back to Luke's 32 Bridge at 10:30 p.m., Baltz said he ordered Strain two waters after hearing his slurred speech. But when a bartender heard Strain's slurred speech, a bouncer was called in to eject the 22-year-old from the rooftop bar, the TABC report said.

[...]

Baltz called Strain within two to three minutes of his ejection and told investigators Strain said he was a "few blocks" on his way to the hotel, about a half mile from the bar, the report said.

[...]

*Article includes details of what Riley had to drink at each establishment

 

[Leopard]

Tragic conclusion but it is a relief to hear that he likely wasn't the target of a crime, just unfortunate bad luck with his choices.

 

[LadyL]

a margarita, two whiskey and Coke drinks, one rum and Coke and two 5% alcoholic seltzer beverages, another rum and coke

and there may have been more at other bars or in a hotel room ...

that's a lot of booze IMO

 

[NCWatcher]

a margarita, two whiskey and Coke drinks, one rum and Coke and two 5% alcoholic seltzer beverages, another rum and coke

and there may have been more at other bars or in a hotel room ...

that's a lot of booze IMO

I agree that IS a lot of booze. But the report covers the bar-hopping RS did from 4:30-10:30-- a 6 hour period. And he was a big person and a man besides (biological effects not cultural--alcohol dehydrogenase, fat, etc different from women.)

The question wasn't did he choose to drink too much (including I expect in the hotel room.) I think investigators do know which bars he went to and I think it's obvious he did drink too much (although I wouldn't count on the autopsy BAL of .228 being 100% accurate after 2 weeks in the water.) BAL also continues to rise after drinking stops.

But there's no evidence he was "over-served" at any bar because he wasn't exhibiting signs of being too intoxicated until he started slurring his words at Luke's & got booted. Even his stepfather and mother said he didn't sound intoxicated when face-timing mom at around 7:30-8. That was slightly more than halfway through his bar-hopping. And according to the published report, by then he'd had 5-6 drinks plus whatever unknown quantity he had at the hotel. And he sounded fine to family. So how could wait staff know he wasn't?
MOO

 

[AliceInPain]

Why are people still talking about this?
Men go out and drink all the time all over the world and end up dead in the water. My brother's best friend was one of those.
What's the difference here?
Serious question.

 

[LadyL]

I agree that IS a lot of booze. But the report covers the bar-hopping RS did from 4:30-10:30-- a 6 hour period. And he was a big person and a man besides (biological effects not cultural--alcohol dehydrogenase, fat, etc different from women.)

The question wasn't did he choose to drink too much (including I expect in the hotel room.) I think investigators do know which bars he went to and I think it's obvious he did drink too much (although I wouldn't count on the autopsy BAL of .228 being 100% accurate after 2 weeks in the water.) BAL also continues to rise after drinking stops.

But there's no evidence he was "over-served" at any bar because he wasn't exhibiting signs of being too intoxicated until he started slurring his words at Luke's & got booted. Even his stepfather and mother said he didn't sound intoxicated when face-timing mom at around 7:30-8. That was slightly more than halfway through his bar-hopping. And according to the published report, by then he'd had 5-6 drinks plus whatever unknown quantity he had at the hotel. And he sounded fine to family. So how could wait staff know he wasn't?
MOO

ITA. I don't fault the bars whatsoever. But it's easier to understand why he was stumbling and fell.

 

[TDoc72]

Why are people still talking about this?
Men go out and drink all the time all over the world and end up dead in the water. My brother's best friend was one of those.
What's the difference here?
Serious question.

IMO the family (and some others here) believe that it wasn’t a tragic accident and foul play must’ve been involved. I do feel for them but to me it seems they just can’t accept that Riley was technically at fault for his own death. He over drank and couldn’t make it to a safe place to sleep it off. It is tragic and sad but there’s been no evidence that anyone else was involved. I wish them peace.
I believe it was an accident. There just hasn’t been any evidence of foul play. Video and witness interviews seem to back this up.

 

[LadyL]

IMO the family (and some others here) believe that it wasn’t a tragic accident and foul play must’ve been involved. I do feel for them but to me it seems they just can’t accept that Riley was technically at fault for his own death. He over drank and couldn’t make it to a safe place to sleep it off. It is tragic and sad but there’s been no evidence that anyone else was involved. I wish them peace.
I believe it was an accident. There just hasn’t been any evidence of foul play. Video and witness interviews seem to back this up.

and the frat brothers did nothing wrong IMO

 

[Boxer]

and the frat brothers did nothing wrong IMO

Let a uber blotto brother make his way to the hotel on his own. MOO Its not "wrong" per se, but the "brothers" were not as bonded as I would expect.

 

[LadyL]

Let a uber blotto brother make his way to the hotel on his own. MOO Its not "wrong" per se, but the "brothers" were not as bonded as I would expect.

did you not read they called him to make sure he was ok
also, apparently he did not seem that wasted to some or he would've been denied at those bars

 

[NCWatcher]

Let a uber blotto brother make his way to the hotel on his own. MOO Its not "wrong" per se, but the "brothers" were not as bonded as I would expect.

You may be right that they weren't very tightly bonded. But reports seem to suggest the rest of the group stayed out until around 3:15 am. So the others may not have been very intoxicated early on & may not have realized RS was "uber blotto" between 9:30-10:30pm (assuming he was.)

Fraternity Brothers Scrutinized By Riley Strain's Family Friend For Lack Of Help

Riley Strain's family is not happy with his fraternity brothers for their lack of help following his death.

www.yahoo.com

The latest TABC report

State: Riley Strain not visibly drunk or overserved by Luke Bryan's Nashville bar

Investigators determined Riley Strain was not overserved by Luke Bryan's bar on the night he went missing.

www.tennessean.com

suggests RS was not over-served so I'm not sure the brothers with him would have realized how intoxicated he was from some slurred speech (& I still am not personally confident about the accuracy of the BAL level derived after weeks in the water.)

I also wonder what the group usually did when a member of their group got cut off. This can't have been the first time it ever happened. Sometimes even "bonded" young men are kind of macho about engaging in and/or accepting caretaking, especially from male peers.

I admit there's a difference between wandering around smashed where one lives vs doing it in an unfamiliar city. But I'm not sure young people always see things that way. And even in a familiar environment bad things can happen.

In the TABC it is stated a few brothers went outside with Riley after he was booted from Luke's but came back upstairs. We don't know what members said or what RS said in that conversation. One member of the group, Baltz, stated to investigators he called RS 2-3 minutes after he left Luke's and RS said he was a few blocks away heading for their hotel, a hotel that was about a 1/2 mile away. With benefit of hindsight, we know that wasn't true. But the brothers couldn't have known that and RS probably didn't either. And according to Google maps, it was a 10 minute, mostly flat, walk back to the Tempo Hotel from Luke's. With his long legs and loping stride, if he had he been headed in the right direction RS could have been close to halfway back to the hotel by the time Baltz called.
MOO

 

[Boxer]

Its just an opinion on my part. The frat brothers may have not really seen how drunk Riley was. Inebriqted people frequently stumble thenselves to death.

 

[Cryptic]

Let a uber blotto brother make his way to the hotel on his own. MOO Its not "wrong" per se, but the "brothers" were not as bonded as I would expect.

The fraternity is evidently a business fraternity, not a social fraternity per se. Rather, the fraternity in question is open to anyone with a business major (and perhaps has a few other nominal requirements).

This is in contrast to a fraternity based on selected friendships that are then reinforced by a bonding pledge process.
In the end, I think the fraternity members arrived in Nashville with a mix of agendas:

- I am going mainly to see something new and I have never been to Nashville. I wont be doing the "bar crawl" and am only distantly associated with the members interested in it.

- I am going to be doing a light "bar crawl" that is mainly centered on a nice dinner out and listening to a band. Though we may see the bar crawlers "in action", we are not directly participating in it.

- I am doing the bar crawl and.... the pre crawl get together in the hotel room. When do we start, I can go all night.

The end result, could of been a social dynamic where though fraternity brothers were never going to allow another member to get in immediate danger, some felt less responsibility towards members engaging in activities that they, themselves, had not "signed up for".

 

[GatorFL]

The fraternity is evidently a business fraternity, not a social fraternity per se. Rather, the fraternity in question is open to anyone with a business major (and perhaps has a few other nominal requirements).

This is in contrast to a fraternity based on selected friendships that are then reinforced by a bonding pledge process.
In the end, I think the fraternity members arrived in Nashville with a mix of agendas:

- I am going mainly to see something new and I have never been to Nashville. I wont be doing the "bar crawl" and am only distantly associated with the members interested in it.

- I am going to be doing a light "bar crawl" that is mainly centered on a nice dinner out and listening to a band. Though we may see the bar crawlers "in action", we are not directly participating in it.

- I am doing the bar crawl and.... the pre crawl get together in the hotel room. When do we start, I can go all night.

The end result, could of been a social dynamic where though fraternity brothers were never going to allow another member to get in immediate danger, some felt less responsibility towards members engaging in activities that they, themselves, had not "signed up for".

Delta Chi is 100% a social fraternity. At my university they were suspended a few years ago for hazing pledges.

The Delta Chi Fraternity

A Lifelong Endeavor

deltachi.org

UF suspends Delta Chi fraternity

The University of Florida has suspended a fraternity for an alcohol-related hazing incident during the spring semester.

www.gainesville.com

 

[Cryptic]

Delta Chi is 100% a social fraternity. At my university they were suspended a few years ago for hazing pledges.

Thanks for the needed correction. I thought that RS had gone with an academic / major fraternity. Sigma Chi was on my campus as well- though I cant remember what kind of reputation they had.

The aspects of being a social fraternity comprised of selected members with a bonding process likely also included the understanding that the pub crawl would be a group activity- abiet with some members being more deeply involved than others.

The totality seems to suggest that RS was owed more support than he received.