Body of missing student Riley Strain found in Nashville after 2-week search
Fox News' Steve Harrigan provides the latest updates on the discovery of 22-year-old college student Riley Strain's body, which was recovered from the Cumberland River in Tennessee.
Tennessee's chief medical examiner released a full toxicology report Tuesday for 22-year-old University of Missouri senior Riley Strain, whose body was found in the Cumberland River in March after a fraternity outing in Nashville.
Strain's blood alcohol level was .228 – more than twice the legal limit – when he died, and he also had Delta 9 in his system, per the toxicology report reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Evidence of pleural effusion, or water on the lungs, and pulmonary edema were also reported in the autopsy. In addition to the high alcohol content, evidence of caffeine, nicotine and marijuana was found in Strain's blood.
Strain's causes of death were listed as drowning and ethanol intoxication, and his manner of death was deemed accidental.
Riley Strain was last seen out with friends on Broadway Street in Nashville, Tennessee, on the evening of March 8. His body was recovered in the Cumberland River on March 22. (Family handout)
Strain was last seen on a spring formal fraternity trip in downtown Nashville on March 8. One of his friends called 911 the next morning and filed a police report, spurring a weekslong search.
He had been out on Broadway drinking with friends at Luke Bryan's downtown bar, called Luke's 32, when staff asked him to leave. Strain's family accused the bar of overserving him, but the establishment said they only served the fraternity brother one alcoholic drink.
RILEY STRAIN FOUND: NASHVILLE POLICE LOCATE BODY OF COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WENT MISSING AFTER NIGHT OUT
Michelle Strain Whiteid, left, and her husband, Chris Whiteid, speak to the media during a press conference to update the public about the disappearance of University of Missouri student Riley Strain at Public Square Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 19, several days before his body was recovered. (Denny Simmons/The Tennessean via USA Today)
People working along the river in West Nashville found Strain's body in the water on the morning of March 22.
In the days before the discovery, investigators analyzed bits of surveillance footage from different Nashville bars and businesses in an effort to retrace his steps and find him. Meanwhile, Strain's family took to social media to spread news of the student's disappearance.
POLICE SAY MISSING COLLEGE STUDENT RILEY STRAIN'S BANK CARD FOUND NEAR NASHVILLE-AREA RIVER
Police say Riley Strain was kicked out of Luke Bryan's Nashville bar on the night of March 8, and no one was able to locate or get in touch with Strain afterward, prompting a missing-persons search. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
For several days, the search was focused around James Robertson Parkway and Gay Streets, where police said Strain's phone last pinged. Officials redirected their search to the Cheatham Lock and Dam near Ashland City on March 20, with volunteers and Strain's family taking part.
Nashville police searched for Riley Strain since he was reported missing on the evening of March 8. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
Two people who heard of Strain's disappearance through TikTok found the student's credit card on the banks of the Cumberland River.
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Although the Metro Nashville Police Department said Strain's death appeared accidental after their preliminary autopsy in March, the fact that his pants and wallet were missing when his body was discovered raised suspicions of foul play, prompting his family to arrange a second autopsy.
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