As more details about the night Riley Strain went missing in Nashville surface, the alleged reason why the college student was kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar right before his disappearance has been revealed.
According to multiple media outlets, the University of Missouri student went missing shortly before 10 p.m. on March 8. Strain was out with members of his fraternity that evening. Unfortunately, he was kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Bar and was separated from the group.
Except for his bank card, which was discovered near the Cumberland River in Nashville, there have been no other clues of where Riley Strain went after his experience at the bar.
However, Strain’s stepfather told NBC News earlier this week that he had gone to two other bars before being kicked out of the third bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge Bar. He was also seen in a video, which the Nashville Police Department shared, walking past an officer on a sidewalk near the Cumberland River on Gay Street. The video was taken at around 9:52 p.m.
But in separate security video, which was recorded in the minutes before the other video, showed Riley Strain stumbling and eventually falling down.
Luke Bryan’s bar revealed it only served Strain one alcoholic drink and two glasses of water. The 22-year-old was then escorted out of the bar by its security team. The bar noted that the team made the decision to kick Strain out based on its conduct standards. He exited through the bar’s Broadway exit. “He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs.”
Family Friend Says Riley Strain Wasn’t Acting Confrontational or Rowdy While at Luke Bryan’s Bar
Chris Dingman, a friend of Riley Strain’s family, spoke to NewsNation about the situation. He said that Strain’s removal from the bar was not due to any confrontations. But there was a conversation with an employee that may have caused Strain to be escorted out of the bar.
“There was no argument,” Dingman said. “Riley was actually trying to do a good deed. They felt like, you know, maybe he had enough.”
Also speaking about Riley Strain’s phone, Dingman clarified what happened before the disappearance. “That is something that we have been able to find and verify. Riley did have battery power at the time his phone went dark. What we have been told is the phone did not die due to battery capacity.”
NewsNation reports that search efforts for Strain were boosted by the United Cajun Navy, which is a national disaster response operation This organization has deployed hovercrafts and airboats to search the river for any side of the college student.
There have been multiple requests to involve the FBI and TBI. However, the assistance is reportedly contingent on the Nashville Police Department’s involvement.
Dingman added he doesn’t know why it took “so long” for the initial investigation to get started.