New updates have emerged in the Riley Strain case involving a statement from the final person who spoke to Riley before he went missing.
Riley, a University of Missouri student, went missing from downtown Nashville back in March. Authorities found his body in the Cumberland River about two weeks after his disappearance.
According to USA Today, “Strain went missing after being kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Food and Drink Nashville’s Lower Broadway while vacationing with fraternity brothers. He attended the University of Missouri and was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.”
“Prior to his disappearance,” USA Today continued, “he was seen on surveillance footage walking around the downtown area, sometimes stumbling.”
Riley’s death ultimately appeared to be “accidental,” according to Metro Nashville Police Department. However, many others suspect there’s more to the story — especially since he did not have his cowboy boots, pants, or wallet on him when found.
Riley Strain’s Final Conversation Before Disappearance
According to NewsNation, “Chris Dingman, a friend of Riley Strain’s family, says the last known person to speak with the late University of Missouri student gave the family and later detectives a statement about what happened the night Strain disappeared.”
“That was huge,” Dingman stated. “That was something we were looking for. He told the detective his account of the story of what happened to Riley.”
The person who last spoke to Riley allegedly confirmed he was wearing his pants and boots the night of his disappearance. This gives his family a reason to believe his death wasn’t, in fact, accidental.
Furthermore, the preliminary report found no water in his lungs, meaning he might have already been dead before making it into the water. In other words, while professionals assumed he accidentally drowned, this might not have been the case.
Riley’s family went ahead and ordered a second autopsy to get more answers. They are also asking Riley’s fraternity brothers to come forward with any information at this time, alleging that they have yet to speak up.
“We haven’t really heard much from them,” Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, revealed. “There’s a lot of things we’d like to find out from them.”
“If I was in their situation, I’d be beating down those parents’ doors to tell them everything I could and be helpful in any way that I could,” he added.
For now, Riley’s parents at least have some more information from the last person who spoke with Riley that night.