Riley Strain, 22, went missing in Nashville on Friday, March 8, and his family in Missouri is asking for help. Strain vanished after being booted from a bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge. He was in Music City for a fraternity conference with his Delta Chi brothers over the weekend.
Strain’s companion notified his family after he failed to appear at their hotel the following day. “It’s your worst nightmare, really,” Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, told NewsNation.
Riley Strain went missing
Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, claims that the bartender at Luke Bryan’s bar, 32 Bridge Food + Drink cut off the University of Missouri student because he was overserved. As Strain was escorted out by security, his friend attempted to accompany him. However, he was not permitted to leave at that time.
Strain had already left by the time his friend was able to leave. Strain’s friend called him, and he told him he was returning to his hotel room. Whiteid disclosed that Strain’s phone was pinged 45 minutes later, and he was in the opposite direction of the hotel. No one has heard from him since.
Strain called his mother, Michelle Whiteid, over FaceTime just a few hours before disappearing. “He and his buddy were having a good time, and he just wanted to show me that he was having a good time,” Michelle Whiteid told Markie Martin on ‘Morning in America.’
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) stated that they had investigated both hospitals and jails but found no signs of Strain.
On Tuesday, March 12, police revealed a video showing Strain in downtown Nashville the night he went missing. A second video taken by the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop shows him appearing to stumble near Church Street the night he vanished.
The search for Strain is underway. According to TC Restaurant Group, the operator and owner of Luke’s 32 Bridge, it is working closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and anything else that may be of help. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return,” the group said, according to WSMV4.