Missouri Student Riley Strain’s Body Found In Tennessee River; No Foul Play Suspected

(CTN News) – Riley Strain, a student from the University of Missouri who had been missing in Tennessee’s capital for nearly two weeks, was found in a river on Friday, according to police. A foul play investigation is not suspected, according to investigators.

The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed around 7:30 a.m. that Riley Strain’s body had been located in the Cumberland River approximately 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) west of downtown.

In the beginning, workers on the river discovered Riley Strain’s body and alerted police to its presence. According to police chief John Drake , an autopsy is expected to be conducted on Friday afternoon after medical examiners have confirmed it was Strain, he added.

“We believe that under normal circumstances in these circumstances there is a possibility that he would have surfaced between 14 and 20 days, depending on his height and weight,” Drake told reporters. It has been fourteen days since yesterday. Therefore, we had high expectations that he would be found.

The police had previously said that Riley Strain, who is 22 years old, was last seen just before 10 p.m. the day after he had been drinking downtown on the March 8.

Several months later a massive search was launched, with only a few small clues available to aid investigators in their attempt to find him, including the discovery of his bank card along a river bank and the use of surveillance footage to track his final moments.

According to University of Missouri officials, Riley Strain was traveling to Nashville to attend a private event, which was organized by the university.

The mother of Strain, Michelle Whiteid, and his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, have been in Nashville since hearing of Strain’s disappearance, but have not been able to locate him.

As Michelle Whiteid tells me, the only thing she wants to know is where her son is. We talk every single day, multiple times a day, and that is all she wants to know. The longest I have ever gone without talking to him is the longest I have ever gone without talking to him. I am devastated by this. “All I want is to find him and give him a big hug.”

He also added that his “heart and prayers” go out to the Strain family during this very unfortunate and tragic accident.”

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