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

[imstilla.grandma]

There are videos, eyewitnesses, his cellphone pings, the discovery of his bank card near the Cumberland River and, now, there’s Strain’s shirt. But almost two weeks after the visiting student walked away from a Nashville nightspot and vanished, there’s still no sign of him.

Chris Salisbury, an advocate for Nashville-area homeless, shared new details Wednesday about the shirt that Strain was last seen wearing with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield.

Salisbury said he was able to go and find surveillance information based on the homeless community and discovered that a homeless man named Ross was wearing Strain’s shirt — which had vomit on it — said he found the clothing item on a railing. However, where Ross says he found it doesn’t add up, according to Salisbury.

Strain’s mother and stepfather Michelle and Chris Whiteid told Banfield it wasn’t new information, as they had heard that rumor prior. Strain’s stepfather said vomit was not visible on his shirt in bodycam footage from an officer who briefly interacted with the college student the night he disappeared.

Riley Strain approaches bridge in last-known footage: Parents

New, never-released video shows Riley Strain’s last-known moments.

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[SMK777]

Tips to Nashville police department re Riley Strain reportedly going to voicemail at Cold Case Unit

(NewsNation) — Tips to Nashville police about the missing Riley Strain case are reportedly going to the Cold Case Unit voicemail.

Sabrina Martin told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield on Tuesday night that she believes she saw a homeless man wearing Strain’s shirt after he went missing, but she says she hasn’t been able to contact the correct authorities.

Riley Strain timeline: Family holds out hope for Mizzou student’s return
“I have not heard from the police,” Martin said on “Banfield.” “I have called. I have emailed local news stations. … I found the Crime Stoppers line. That lady did seem to take me seriously, but I have not heard anything back. She did not seem to be aware of Riley’s case.”

The University of Missouri college senior vanished March 8 after reportedly being removed from a downtown bar. Authorities have been scrambling to retrace his steps in a bid to unravel the circumstances of his disappearance.

Why are Riley Strain tips going to Cold Case Unit voicemail?

Tips to Nashville police about the missing Riley Strain case are reportedly going to the Cold Case Unit voicemail.

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[Arkay]

Speaking for myself alone, I am no fan of bars and bar culture, as I see no upside to people getting drunk.

Having said that, and with the disclaimer that I respect everyone’s right to an opinion here, I cannot agree with the comments that the bar is 100% culpable.

This does not appear to be part of one of those crazy hazing rituals, where new pledges are FORCED to drink. We’ve all read about instances that lead those poor kids to die from alcohol poisoning or post-hazing accidents.

If, as seems likely, Riley went to the several bars that night of his own volition, then how can this bar be 100% at fault?

As far as we know according to the information provided, Riley was not lassoed into the bar, dragged over to the bartender and forced to drink against his will.

And, as others have said, the bar claims his friend was sent to escort Riley out but the friend returned willingly to the bar.

Even if the bar is just trying to back its way out of trouble, Riley was with a group of so-called friends and frat brothers. It would only have taken one of them to buddy up with him and we would never have heard his name, and his mom would still be getting her daily call from her son.

JMO

 

[Pizza_Lovah]

Speaking for myself alone, I am no fan of bars and bar culture, as I see no upside to people getting drunk.

Having said that, and with the disclaimer that I respect everyone’s right to an opinion here, I cannot agree with the comments that the bar is 100% culpable.

This does not appear to be part of one of those crazy hazing rituals, where new pledges are FORCED to drink. We’ve all read about instances that lead those poor kids to die from alcohol poisoning or post-hazing accidents.

If, as seems likely, Riley went to the several bars that night of his own volition, then how can this bar be 100% at fault?

As far as we know according to the information provided, Riley was not lassoed into the bar, dragged over to the bartender and forced to drink against his will.

And, as others have said, the bar claims his friend was sent to escort Riley out but the friend returned willingly to the bar.

Even if the bar is just trying to back its way out of trouble, Riley was with a group of so-called friends and frat brothers. It would only have taken one of them to buddy up with him and we would never have heard his name, and his mom would still be getting her daily call from her son.

JMO

The bar did their job by identifying him as overserved, refusing further service, and having a friend escort him out. Beyond that, I don't see how it would be feasible or even legal for them to start monitoring the progress of a drunk former customer that is no longer on their property. That's a massive overreach!

 

[grannygates]

Speaking for myself alone, I am no fan of bars and bar culture, as I see no upside to people getting drunk.

Having said that, and with the disclaimer that I respect everyone’s right to an opinion here, I cannot agree with the comments that the bar is 100% culpable.

This does not appear to be part of one of those crazy hazing rituals, where new pledges are FORCED to drink. We’ve all read about instances that lead those poor kids to die from alcohol poisoning or post-hazing accidents.

If, as seems likely, Riley went to the several bars that night of his own volition, then how can this bar be 100% at fault?

As far as we know according to the information provided, Riley was not lassoed into the bar, dragged over to the bartender and forced to drink against his will.

And, as others have said, the bar claims his friend was sent to escort Riley out but the friend returned willingly to the bar.

Even if the bar is just trying to back its way out of trouble, Riley was with a group of so-called friends and frat brothers. It would only have taken one of them to buddy up with him and we would never have heard his name, and his mom would still be getting her daily call from her son.

JMO

When you get your certificate for responsible alcohol serving, you are taught that if you overserve someone or if someone is injured after leaving your bar, you are liable for those injuries. You are supposed to make sure that your patrons aren’t driving drunk and have a safe ride home.

That’s where I feel like all bars should step up more and ensure that black-out drunk patrons are put into a cab or have a buddy if they leave bar by foot. Turning loose a super drunk person alone is very dangerous. It is babysitting grown adults but sure beats having this happen.

 

[Chingaling]

My take away was that people can have all the opinions and theories they want. Just don’t call them in to LE because it’s a waste of time and resources. Tips are wanted and welcomed, not theories. imo

The words and tone was just very off putting for me.

 

[Chimera]

There are videos, eyewitnesses, his cellphone pings, the discovery of his bank card near the Cumberland River and, now, there’s Strain’s shirt. But almost two weeks after the visiting student walked away from a Nashville nightspot and vanished, there’s still no sign of him.

Chris Salisbury, an advocate for Nashville-area homeless, shared new details Wednesday about the shirt that Strain was last seen wearing with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield.

Salisbury said he was able to go and find surveillance information based on the homeless community and discovered that a homeless man named Ross was wearing Strain’s shirt — which had vomit on it — said he found the clothing item on a railing. However, where Ross says he found it doesn’t add up, according to Salisbury.

Strain’s mother and stepfather Michelle and Chris Whiteid told Banfield it wasn’t new information, as they had heard that rumor prior. Strain’s stepfather said vomit was not visible on his shirt in bodycam footage from an officer who briefly interacted with the college student the night he disappeared.

Riley Strain approaches bridge in last-known footage: Parents

New, never-released video shows Riley Strain’s last-known moments.

www.newsnationnow.com

Red bolding mine.
Without getting too graphic and with respect for Riley's mother and stepfather ... that bodycam footage was a little too far to tell for certain ?
I feel for his family as no answers at all, has to be a terrible strain for them !
Imo.
However it bolsters speculation that he didn't fall victim to foul play, but has probably fallen into water somewhere and hasn't surfaced yet.
Omo.

 

[Pizza_Lovah]

When you get your certificate for responsible alcohol serving, you are taught that if you overserve someone or if someone is injured after leaving your bar, you are liable for those injuries. You are supposed to make sure that your patrons aren’t driving drunk and have a safe ride home.

That’s where I feel like all bars should step up more and ensure that black-out drunk patrons are put into a cab or have a buddy if they leave bar by foot. Turning loose a super drunk person alone is very dangerous. It is babysitting grown adults but sure beats having this happen.

Oh wow, I did not know that! That seems like a daunting task. What if something bad happens to them while they're at home? Or does the responsibility end when they are at their home? What if they forget their address?

 

[SMK777]

Red bolding mine.
Without getting too graphic and with respect for Riley's mother and stepfather ... that bodycam footage was a little too far to tell for certain ?
I feel for his family as no answers at all, has to be a terrible strain for them !
Imo.
However it bolsters speculation that he didn't fall victim to foul play, but has probably fallen into water somewhere and hasn't surfaced yet.
Omo.

I agree that at night and from a distance it would be difficult to tell.
I sure wish there would be a resolution to this case and some definitive answers.

It’s heartbreaking. As someone posted up thread, Riley is the type of young person the world needs more of, not less.

 

[Chingaling]

That's how these situations are handled. A life is on the line, and they're trying to find that person as soon as possible. They don't have time or the resources to be crawling on their hands and knees, digging through trash. Their priority was establishing a timeline, and tracking his movements through digital evidence, surveillance video, and witnesses.

They want people to come forward with what they saw, and the place they saw it. Those are real tips they can act upon, as opposed to theories, suggestions, and speculation. They don't want is the rumor mill turning this into something it is not, which is not helpful to anyone. That's how innocent people get accused of a crime when there isn't even one, and law enforcement has to pore through useless tips from idiots on social media.

All indications were and are, that this was a tragic accident; nothing has changed that. The family sought the assistance of the United Cajun Navy, and the head of that organization even said that the debit card being found doesn't turn this into a crime, and that they believe he is in the water.

Yeah well if they aren't willing to follow all the evidence then they should hand it over to some higher power. I'm not talking about theories here, but that debit card is evidence weather they are willing to follow the crumbs or not. And by the words at the presser we shouldn't even be on here talking about it. So if I was his parents I'd have a problem with the way this has been handled. I'd crawl on my hands and knees to follow every crumb if it was my kid.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Family friend Chris Dingman shares updates Thursday morning (3/21/24) on the search in NewsNation video linked below.

He says “Last night was very fruitful.” (he is in Nashville now for the first time)

“We followed up with some people who personally reached out to us.

We possibly have some viable new information.

It was a very fruitful evening.

The lion’s share of everything we’ve gotten has come from the homeless community.

We have been across the river from where the incident happened.

The Marathon fuel station is really close to that, and we're hoping the video footage delivered to LE may show more."

 

[grannygates]

Oh wow, I did not know that! That seems like a daunting task. What if something bad happens to them while they're at home? Or does the responsibility end when they are at their home? What if they forget their address?

I was told during my certification that my liability would end once they arrived at home. The trip from the bar to home would be on me if something bad happened because they were too drunk. I was supposed to ask everyone at the table how they were getting home and if someone was too drunk, I was told to confirm a safe ride home with a friend or call them a cab.

If they were too drunk I would usually assume their drivers licence would have their proper address or call the police to help. People may go to the “drunk tank” when the patron is too drunk to know their own address.

 

[chimpface]

@chimpface so terribly sorry to read that you were assaulted, how awful! I empathize on the way it takes over life afterwards (the calls, the cancelling cards, the medical needs, EVERYTHING). All my warmest thoughts and prayers to you in this recovery.

Thank you for the kind words. I've just given my statement to the police, 4 days it took them to take that! Thankfully they're recovered my car which had been dumped as well but won't tell me if there's any damage and it's on SOCO hold and they can't even tell me when that's going to happen. Sigh.

I will definitely have my wits about me more in city centre's going forward (This was in Coventry, UK).

 

[MassGuy]

Yeah well if they aren't willing to follow all the evidence then they should hand it over to some higher power. I'm not talking about theories here, but that debit card is evidence weather they are willing to follow the crumbs or not. And by the words at the presser we shouldn't even be on here talking about it. So if I was his parents I'd have a problem with the way this has been handled. I'd crawl on my hands and knees to follow every crumb if it was my kid.

The debit card is evidence of an accident, and shoots a massive hole in any robbery theory. Further evidence of an accident comes from the fact that his iPhone and watch went dark at the same time, when both had battery power. This is a recovery operation and not a criminal investigation.

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770837501441159647

 

[Chingaling]

That was strange to me too. Obviously small pieces of evidence could narrow the search and lead to the missing person? There's a lot going on behind the scenes that we don't know, but it's odd that Tik Tokers found that piece of evidence. Shouldn't that trash have been combed through by investigators? Do they need more resources on it or is the philosophy really just looking for an entire person only.

IDK but if they don't follow the evidence then how are they going to find a whole person?

 

[MarcieM]

I don't understand how we're blaming the bar, they only served him one drink and then refused to serve him anymore. They did exactly what they were supposed to do but unfortunately, his friends weren't ready to leave yet as it was only a little after 9:30pm. I have a 21 year old who has gotten himself kicked out of the same bar twice in the same evening and I never once blamed the bar for putting him out. It never even crossed my mind as he was past the point and that is a place of business and they can't have people like that there for many reasons and I completely get that. If people are planning on going out drinking, it is their responsibility to ensure they will have a safe way to get home at the end of the evening. I always tell my son he has to take care of himself and he shouldn't expect his friends or anyone else to have to babysit him when he drinks past the point. I personally don't believe this happened but, if someone did slip something in Riley's drink that night, then this situation becomes something totally different...

 

[Chingaling]

The debit card is evidence of an accident, and shoots a massive hole in any robbery theory. Further evidence of an accident comes from the fact that his iPhone and watch went dark at the same time, when both had battery power. This is a recovery operation and not a criminal investigation.

I don't care if it's a crime or an accident they should have followed up on it.I'm leaning toward accident and it could be the point of entry in the river.

 

[MassGuy]

I don't care if it's a crime or an accident they should have followed up on it.I'm leaning toward accident and it could be the point of entry in the river.

It helps but not that much. He could be dozens of miles away by now, no matter where he went in.

 

[Sundog]

I don't care if it's a crime or an accident they should have followed up on it.I'm leaning toward accident and it could be the point of entry in the river.

I am sure that LE is considering that possibility and following up, accordingly.