In a recent development, the Nashville Police Department has released new footage that shows missing Missouri student, Riley Strain, interacting with a police officer on the night of his disappearance.
The 22-year-old vanished on March 8 after being ejected from a bar during a fraternity trip to Nashville. Despite extensive search efforts, the only trace of Strain found so far is his bank card, discovered near the Cumberland River over a week after his disappearance.
The newly released footage shows Strain walking past a police officer who was responding to a vehicle burglary near the Cumberland River on Gay Street. The interaction occurred at approximately 9.52 pm, shortly after Strain had been separated from his friends. The officer is heard asking Strain about his well-being, to which he responds, "I'm good, how are you?" The Nashville Police Department stated that Strain did not appear distressed during this encounter.
Subsequent surveillance footage, released last week, shows Strain stumbling and falling as he crossed the road and walked down Gay Street. Despite this, police spokesperson Don Aaron maintains that there is no evidence of foul play in Strain's disappearance. "To those who are saying that they believe he could have been in distress, that somebody could have been after him as he walked onto Gay Street, well, as you see in the video, hes walking by himself on the river side and speaks to a police officer as the officer is looking at a vehicle that had been broken into," Aaron said.
On the night of his disappearance, Strain was visiting Nashville with his college fraternity, Delta Chi. He was ejected from Lukes 32 Bridge Food + Drink, a bar owned by country singer Luke Bryan, at about 9.35 pm. The bar stated that Strain was removed by security "based on our conduct standards," and confirmed that he was served only one alcoholic drink and two waters.
Strain's stepfather, Chris Whiteid, disputes theories that his stepson was under the influence of alcohol that night. He revealed that Strain had FaceTimed his mother earlier that evening from another bar, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, and did not appear to be heavily intoxicated. "He didnt even sound like he had been drinking a lot," Whiteid said. He also mentioned that Strain had been texting his mother coherently after the call ended.
Whiteid expressed doubts about the cause of Strain's impaired balance seen in the surveillance footage. "Ive done a fair amount of drinking in my life, and I still question whether it was alcohol or something else," he said. He also revealed that he had received messages from up to ten people claiming they were drugged while visiting bars in Nashville.
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