A tragic accident.
That appears to be the conclusion of the autopsy report for Riley Strain, the 22-year old University of Missouri student whose body was found in the Cumberland River near downtown Nashville back in March after a two-week search.
Strain, who was in town for a fraternity formal, was last seen after being asked to leave Luke Bryan’s lower Broadway bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, and then for some reason walked in the opposite direction of his hotel.
Authorities said at the time there was no sign of foul play, and Luke’s bar released a statement during the search clarifying that he was served only one alcoholic drink and two waters at their bar before being asked to leave.
The death was ruled an accident, and Nashville Metro Police have since closed their investigation, but the family says they are searching for answers amid what they say are still lingering questions that they have about their loved one’s death.
Family friend and spokesman Chris Dingman appeared on News Nation recently and spoke about the concerns that the family still have over the passing of their loved one:
“One thing that threw the family for a loop was the coroner going on record with a news person in Nashville stating about the lack of water in his lungs.It raises more questions. I’m not a crime drama person by no means, but usually water in the lungs means they were alive when they went into the water.”
And Dingman also says that Strain’s body was found without his pants or boots:
“Unfortunately the only thing that was found with him as the police stated in the report was the watch and the shirt. Everything else was not with him when he was found.”
Strain was reportedly wearing square-toed Justin cowboy boots when he was missing, as well as jeans. His wallet was also missing.
And Strain’s mother also has questions about a text that she received from Strain shortly before his disappearance about a drink that he said didn’t taste right:
“He had sent me a text and said that he was drinking a rum and coke and it didn’t taste good. And I said, ‘Well you probably shouldn’t drink it then.’He goes, ‘Well it tastes like barbeque.’ And I go, ‘Well that sounds awful.’ And he says, ‘Well it sounds good but it’s not.’”
Whiteid says she’s now concerned that there was something in that drink:
“Maybe there was something in it that shouldn’t have been.”
It’s not believed that Riley was at Luke Bryan’s bar when he sent that text, and the family has been able to piece together the bars that he visited before he went missing using Strain’s bank account information, which shows that he was at Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, Garth Brooks’ Friends In Low Places, and Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk before they went to Luke’s 32 Bridge.
Obviously the family was hoping that some of their questions would be answered by the toxicology report. And now, the results of that report are reportedly set to be released.
According to Newschannel 5 here in Nashville, the toxicology report found no signs of drugs in Strain's system at the time of his death, and the autopsy reportedly found so signs of trauma.
Obviously there was concern that Strain had been drugged, especially given the concerning text that he sent to his mother. But apparently there were no signs of anything other than alcohol in his system, which supports the Medical Examiner's conclusion that his death was simply a tragic accident.
Of course there are still plenty of questions remaining about what happened that night, and some of those may be answered when the full autopsy and toxicology report is released, which is expected to be this week.
The family has also reportedly hired high-profile law firm Morgan & Morgan to handle any potential litigation relating to the young man's death. But as of right now, it doesn't seem like this was anything but a terrible tragedy.
