Editor’s note: The latest update on Riley Strain.
(NewsNation) — The parents of missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain revealed details on never-released footage police have of the 22-year-old before he disappeared March 8 in Nashville, Tennessee.
There are videos, eyewitnesses, his cellphone pings, the discovery of his bank card near the Cumberland River and, now, there’s Strain’s shirt. But almost two weeks after the visiting student walked away from a Nashville nightspot and vanished, there’s still no sign of him.
Chris Salisbury, an advocate for Nashville-area homeless, shared new details Wednesday about the shirt that Strain was last seen wearing with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield.
Salisbury said he was able to go and find surveillance information based on the homeless community and discovered that a homeless man named Ross was wearing Strain’s shirt — which had vomit on it — said he found the clothing item on a railing. However, where Ross says he found it doesn’t add up, according to Salisbury.
Strain’s mother and stepfather Michelle and Chris Whiteid told Banfield it wasn’t new information, as they had heard that rumor prior. Strain’s stepfather said vomit was not visible on his shirt in bodycam footage from an officer who briefly interacted with the college student the night he disappeared.
The couple shared their doubt that Strain was too intoxicated to function at the time of his disappearance, explaining he spoke clearly and walked more coordinated during the short interaction with the police officer.
Riley Strain’s last-known moments
Chris Whiteid said he and his wife have seen the last-known footage of Strain, where the 22-year-old was approaching the James Robertson Parkway bridge. In that video, Strain’s stepfather said it was not clear whether Strain had vomit on his shirt.
However, multiple homeless people confirmed to Salisbury that they saw vomit on the shirt resembling Strain’s that Ross was wearing. Plus, a couple had witnessed Strain vomiting over the side rail moments before his encounter with the police officer.
However, Chris Whiteid said that if Strain had vomited again and got it on his shirt, it would have been after his last appearance on camera.
One major question is the location of Ross and whether he was telling the truth about how he reportedly got Strain’s distinctive black and white shirt.
“If we knew that, we’d have a lot more answers,” Chris Whiteid said.
Strain still had his shirt in the last known video of him going under the Jameson Robertson Parkway bridge.
On Wednesday, teams searched the Cheatham Lock and Dam near Ashland City, which is about 25 miles northwest of Nashville, and found no signs of Strain.
While Strain’s mother said she was thankful for everyone’s effort in trying to find her son, it’s all very hard for her to process.
“It’s just all hard. It’s all very hard. I mean, I’m thankful. I don’t know how to feel. Honestly. It’s, it’s hard. It’s all heartbreaking. We just want to find our son,” Michelle Whiteid said.
Where is Riley Strain?
Strain was in Music City for a fraternity conference with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers March 8 when he went missing after he was asked to leave Luke Bryan’s bar Luke 32 Bridge in Nashville.
Initially, reports said he was removed for being overserved, but the bar said he only had one drink and was removed based on their conduct standards. A friend of Strain’s said he attempted to leave with him but was prevented by security.
Surveillance video shows Strain on the streets of Nashville. He appears intoxicated, stumbling and falling at one point. His phone later pinged, indicating he was headed in the opposite direction from the group’s hotel.
Police checked jails and hospitals for Strain with no luck and have been searching the area and the Cumberland River. Strain’s bank card was found on an embankment near the river several days into the search.
Strain’s family has maintained they do not believe he is in the river and have expressed doubts about the texts he sent prior to his disappearance. Police have said there is no evidence of foul play at this time.
