Found Deceased TN - Riley Strain, 22, missing after leaving bar, Nashville, 8 March 2024 #3

[LadyL]

Maybe his phone and wallet helped with ID? I just still cannot grasp that no one from the fraternity group made sure he got home safe? My daughter is graduating high school in 2025 and then going on class Mexico trip. I will make sure she has at least buddy system of 2 others. Riley was an adult but this was a fraternity class trip out of state. Like I wish someone from group made sure he got a ride back to hotel or something. I think Riley planned on waiting for his group to pay tab and come outside, but bouncer may have asked him to leave outside premises. So sad for the family. I think laws should change when establishments decide to boot a customer. This 22 year old was left outside with no whereabouts of his hotel and no buddy with him to make sure he got back to hotel in his state of mind. Just so sad.

but he apparently talked to one of his frat buddies after he was booted and he only had a 5-minute walk and they also were likely under the influence

 

[LadyL]

Still unclear where he exactly fell in river. His body seemed to want to vomit at least from what the couple saw....makes me wonder if he was vomiting at bridge onto water and accidentally fell off bridge. I think his bank card was in his shirt pocket or separate from wallet, so maybe he fell near vacinity of bank card and body traveled in water with current to found location. The girls who found his bank card are heros in the sense of puzzle piece to what happened.

what did the couple say they saw in regards to vomit?

 

[Bogbacal2]

The ladies who found the card, already explained it was loud where they found the card. There's bridge traffic. They went on to say they were less than a few feet from each other and were yelling at each other and couldn't hear each other. Are they lying?! Come on.... Seriously?! There isn't a homeless camp under this bridge, it is under that gay street connector at church.

Well I feel better that the homeless camp was not right near Riley falling in. I know they said the area was loud, however, I was thinking the area Riley was in had homeless persons as well and I could not figure out how no one saw him. Makes sense now.

 

[StrangerThanFiction]

That is a good point. As you said, usually its either the whole group gets booted.

Or, a more sober group member accepts a warning on behalf of the main offender and apologizes. Even a brief apology is still an apology and often accepted- nobody likes booting paying customers. They then..... "redirect" the main violator back into the zone of controlled fun. Thus, everyone is allowed to stay.

I am thinking that perhaps the Fraternity was starting to fragment early on. Thus, Ryan might not of been immediately connected to the group. Say....

- Some members who do not want a heavy drinking experience start to drift off in smaller groups to other places.
- Some of the more skilled and/ or daring head to the dance floor.
- Some, sit as a group at a main table or tables and continue celebrating.
- Ryan wanders off a little. Commits a conduct violation and gets booted. As he was not immediately with his group, the violation is on him alone.

His name is Riley.

 

[Sincerely]

I’m glad they found him. My heart breaks for his family. I do believe that this tragedy will make some people be more cautious and even save some lives. My son is going to Nashville next weekend for his birthday and he followed this on social media. He said it really made him think how he could get in a situation like this while drinking and he said he’d have a plan for various scenarios. Rest easy Riley. Prayers for comfort and peace for his loved ones.

 

[fsngruv]

Well I feel better that the homeless camp was not right near Riley falling in. I know they said the area was loud, however, I was thinking the area Riley was in had homeless persons as well and I could not figure out how no one saw him. Makes sense now.

It's literally crazy what can happen when logic and reason are applied. It's astonishing and I'm glad I could help. Good luck to you!! Much love!

 

[skylaker]

I wonder what his autopsy will find. Alcohol poisoning like Dakota Bingham?

 

[Vern]

the drunkeness video came before the trip & fall video

It did. It was released earlier than the trip and fall, but if you put the locations onto the map - the trip and fall ocurred earlier in time than him staggering down the street, across the crosswalk etc.

 

[neesaki]

I wonder what his autopsy will find. Alcohol poisoning like Dakota Bingham?

I’m beginning to think it was more than alcohol. He was a good sized man, should have been able to hold his liquor as well as the other frat boys, IMO. I’m honestly considering the possibility that he was drugged. It’s reportedly quite common at Nashville bars. Why?
Hopefully the tox report will show if that’s the case.
And/or a head injury from the fall. All JMO

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

I’m beginning to think it was more than alcohol. He was a good sized man, should have been able to hold his liquor as well as the other frat boys,

A tall skinny young man, with low fat and muscle mass, is not "going to hold his liquor well" but that expression is the least scientific way of judging how much alcohol beverage he should have been able to drink without getting really drunk. There are too many factors for anyone to compare him with how drunk his friends were or to guess anyone's BAC. You could be a foot shorter than him, weight the same and still be slender.

Edit to add, Dakota Bingham was reportedly very intoxicated, but his autopsy did not show an outrageous level, it is not going to show the exact BAC levels he had just before death, due to drowning (water) and decomposition.
I'm predicting that some will jump all over Riley's autopsy tox results if they come back lower than "expected".

Autopsy: No foul play found in death of Dakota Bingham, who disappeared from Nashville bar

Dakota Bingham's death was ruled accidental in nature, a Davidson County Medical Examiner found.

www.tennessean.com

"His cause of death was ruled a drowning with contributory "acute ethanol intoxication," the doctor found.

A toxicology report shows his blood alcohol content registered 0.16 — twice the legal limit to drive — when it was tested Oct. 16 — the same day of his autopsy."

MOO

 

[NCWatcher]

I wonder what his autopsy will find. Alcohol poisoning like Dakota Bingham?

I personally doubt alcohol poisoning will be the cause of death or even a contributing factor. I suspect he simply drowned. The autopsy could also show a head injury prior to death from the fall seen on video. That might be a contributing factor if that's what caused him to tumble into the river. And alcohol intoxication could be a contributor, of course.

Perhaps I don't understand alcohol poisoning well enough but it's my understanding most victims wouldn't be up and walking around the way Riley was shortly before death. We know he had only one drink and two waters in the last bar. We know he drank earlier in other bars but we don't know how much. We also don't know if he ate anything. And even if we knew all those things, we still wouldn't necessarily be able to accurately guess his BAC. There are just too many variables to know how quickly his body was able to metabolize alcohol. Still, it sounds like in the last few hours before death he had one drink. While BAC rises long after actual ingestion, and he appeared impaired, I doubt he would have fallen down dead on dry land from the amount of alcohol he likely had in his system. Further, he was pretty coherent when talking to the cop and the couple.

I personally doubt he was drugged. It's possible he & his frat brothers used drugs before going out or took pills while out though. For instance, sometimes people take Adderall to be able to "party" longer. If he was taking stimulants, I guess that could have obscured how much alcohol was really in his system. But I still doubt the autopsy will show alcohol poisoning.

Definitely a sad situation no matter the exact COD.
MOO

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Such a common story a young man found dead in a river after a night out. Very sad.

 

[GatorFL]

I wonder what his autopsy will find. Alcohol poisoning like Dakota Bingham?

Huh? Look 3 posts down. Dakota did NOT have alcohol poisoning. He was simply drunk. For reference here is Mayo Clinic's definition of alcohol poisoning:

Alcohol poisoning - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

 

[neesaki]

A tall skinny young man, with low fat and muscle mass, is not "going to hold his liquor well" but that expression is the least scientific way of judging how much alcohol beverage he should have been able to drink without getting really drunk. There are too many factors for anyone to compare him with how drunk his friends were or to guess anyone's BAC. You could be a foot shorter than him, weight the same and still be slender.

Edit to add, Dakota Bingham was reportedly very intoxicated, but his autopsy did not show an outrageous level, it is not going to show the exact BAC levels he had just before death, due to drowning (water) and decomposition.
I'm predicting that some will jump all over Riley's autopsy tox results if they come back lower than "expected".

Autopsy: No foul play found in death of Dakota Bingham, who disappeared from Nashville bar

Dakota Bingham's death was ruled accidental in nature, a Davidson County Medical Examiner found.

www.tennessean.com

"His cause of death was ruled a drowning with contributory "acute ethanol intoxication," the doctor found.

A toxicology report shows his blood alcohol content registered 0.16 — twice the legal limit to drive — when it was tested Oct. 16 — the same day of his autopsy."

MOO

Thank you for your input. However it still doesn’t exclude the possibility that he was drugged. It happens more often than we care to admit.
He was literally running, before he fell. Then appeared to deteriorate significantly afterwards. So possibly a head injury. I guess I’m repeating myself.

 

[Sundog]

University of Missouri community mourns Riley Strain

The body of Riley Strain, a Mizzou student who had been missing since March 8, was recovered from the Cumberland River on Friday morning.

www.komu.com

IIRC, Riley was on track to graduate from the University of Missouri in May (2024). If that is the case, then it is likely that he will receive a post-humous degree from the University, as long as he was in good standing and had completed the required number of courses (which he likely did complete if he was in the spring semester of his senior year). The awarding of a post-humous degree is very significant to a grieving family, and I hope that his mother, father and stepfather are able to receive Riley's degree on his behalf.

 

[Sundog]

Missing Member Riley Strain Update - The Delta Chi Fraternity

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The Delta Chi Fraternity is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our esteemed fraternity brother, Riley Strain. Our hearts go out to Riley's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time as we work to provide support and resources to all those affected...

deltachi.org

A press release from Delta Chi, Riley's fraternity. I'm glad to see they are reaching out and providing counseling support to Riley's fraternity brothers.

 

[Sundog]

Statement from Riley's high school principal and former high school teacher in Springfield, Missouri -

Strain’s high school in Springfield, Missouri, said it’s tough to process his death. Kickapoo High School Principal Bill Powers told KY3 he was Strain's middle and high school teacher.

"It was very emotional still is and our hearts just break for him and his family and friends," Powers said.

Staff at Kickapoo said Strain had a tight-knit group of friends in Springfield and at MU.

“Many of those students we know from here at Kickapoo,” Powers told KY3. “Riley was such a positive person brightened the room and he was the kind of kid people wanted to be around.”

University of Missouri community mourns Riley Strain

The body of Riley Strain, a Mizzou student who had been missing since March 8, was recovered from the Cumberland River on Friday morning.

www.komu.com

 

[Sundog]

More on remembering Riley -

Back in Springfield, people who knew and loved Strain are processing the news. Kickapoo High School’s principal says it’s an emotional day for staff and people who loved and knew Strain.

“What I remember of Riley is just a happy-go-lucky kid,” said Principal Bill Powers. “He was a bright, sweet, respectful and had an outgoing personality.”

“Our hearts break for his family and friends:” Staff at Riley Strain’s high school in Springfield, Mo. say it’s tough to process his death

Kickapoo High School’s principal says today is an emotional one for staff and people who loved and knew Strain.

www.ky3.com

 

[Silverstorm]

I’m glad they found him. My heart breaks for his family. I do believe that this tragedy will make some people be more cautious and even save some lives. My son is going to Nashville next weekend for his birthday and he followed this on social media. He said it really made him think how he could get in a situation like this while drinking and he said he’d have a plan for various scenarios. Rest easy Riley. Prayers for comfort and peace for his loved ones.

Agree! I read Beth Holloway’s book on her daughterNatalee’s disappearance. She said our young adults need to plan how they end their night as much as they plan where they are going or what they are wearing. Plan to meet somewhere at whatever time . Then all go together home. It’s good advice.

 

[December]

Tennessee - The Delta Chi Fraternity

deltachi.org

The only chapter if his fraternity i could find was in Knoxville. Knoxville is almost 200 miles from Nashville. So, unfortunately there were no brothers in the area.

Somewhere else I read someone thinking Nashville is a "college town". There are colleges in Nashville, but they don't really dominate the atmosphere of the city. When i lived in Nashville, there were a few bars we just let the tourists have. These were nice places, btw. Considering the colorful nicknames Lower Broad apparently has now, the whole thing might be touristville by now. This means if you ask someone "where is" they don't know.

Being just "normal drunk" when you're by yourself in an unfamiliar place is, unfortunately, a really easy way to get hurt or make mistakes. It's just most people, these mistakes aren't fatal. For example, if he had figured out how to get to his hotel, he would have gotten there without his bank card (granted this is nothing compared to dying, but this is an example of a more ordinary mistake). However, the trip and fall could have really injured him due to his height. Even people who are sober sometimes underestimate their injuries from these.

If he was given something strange somewhere, this will reveal itself in the autopsy report.