Riley Strain disappearance timeline: What we know about the missing college student

Ahjané Forbes, Craig Shoup, Kirsten Fiscus and Nicole Young, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
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Search efforts continue for missing college student Riley Strain. It has now been over a week since he disappeared.

Strain, a 22-year-old University of Missouri (Mizzou) student, was last seen in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, March 8. Strain traveled to Nashville to attend the annual spring formal for his fraternity Delta Chi, University of Missouri Associate Director of Public Affairs Travis Zimpher told USA TODAY.

Mizzou issued a news release on Monday asking the campus community for help and information regarding Strain’s disappearance. The university is working with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to find Strain.

“The safety of our community is our highest priority,” Interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs Angela King Taylor said in the news release. “Our thoughts are with Riley’s family as the search continues. We will be offering any support to them that we can, and we encourage anyone who needs help to reach out to our counseling resources.”

Here's a timeline of Riley Strain's disappearance:

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Timeline of Riley Strain's disappearance

Friday, March 8: Strain calls his mom around 7:30 p.m. to check-in. During the FaceTime call Strain tells his mom that he was, "having a good time" while out with friends, according to an article by WKRN. Strain was last seen by his friends after he got kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge, a rooftop bar with live music, according to a missing person's report. Nashville police say Strain was last seen on Gay Street at 9:52 p.m. After not hearing from Strain, his friends tried to contact him through social media apps and by calling his cellphone, according to police.

Monday, March 11: Officials started an initial search of the area, including the banks of the nearby Cumberland River, but did not find anything.

Delta Chi shared a Facebook post asking for the public's help to locate their fraternity brother.

Tuesday, March 12: The Nashville police department released video footage showing Strain walking by himself along Gay Street around 9:50 p.m. and crossing 1st Avenue. In the video, Strain appears disoriented as he walks alongside other pedestrians. After stopping on the sidewalk, pausing for a moment and then walking towards the direction he came from, Strain swiftly turns around and continues to walk down Gay Street. The Office of Emergency Management also launched a boat Tuesday to search the Cumberland River for Strain in a coordinated effort with police.

Wednesday March 13:  The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission launched an investigation into whether Luke's 32 Bridge overserved Strain. A vigil was held in Strain's hometown of Springfield, Missouri where community members gathered at Kickapoo High School. Chris Dingman, a close friend of Strain's family, spoke to the more than 100 people who attended the vigil. Dingman said the extensive Nashville search has included a nearby homeless camp. "We did find another homeless person who had physical contact and a conversation with Riley," Dingman said. A Wednesday evening search of the Cumberland River included two boats and sonar equipment. A GoFundMe was started and has raised more than $47,000 so far. A description on the GoFundMe states that the money will help Strain's family with money for food, hotels and travel as the search for the missing student continues.

Thursday March 14: The Nashville police department said Thursday afternoon that investigators are waiting for the release of Strain's phone and Apple Watch records in the hopes of tracking him down.

Friday March 15: Country singer-songwriter Luke Bryan, owner of bar Luke's 32 Bridge, posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday regarding Strain's time spent at the bar.

"During Riley's visit to Luke's 32 Bridge, our records shows that he purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters," Bryan said in the statement. "At 9:35 p.m., our security team was made a decision based on our conduct standards to escort him from the venue through our Broadway exit at the front of our building. He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs."

Sunday March 17: Nashville police say they have discovered Strain's bank card near the Cumberland River.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department is still searching the area for clues and is asking the public to contact 615-742-7463 if they have information regarding Strain's disappearance.

Contributing: Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, Ryan Collingwood, Springfield News-Leader

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X @forbesfineest.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Riley Strain missing: Timeline of the college student's disappearance