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‘We have … questions’: TikToker who found Riley Strain’s bank card

Editor’s note: The latest update on Riley Strain.

(NewsNation) — Citizen sleuth Brandy Baenen and a friend found a bank card belonging to Riley Strain on the embankment alongside the Cumberland River over the weekend.


Baenen has been going live on TikTok as she searches for answers in Strain’s disappearance, which has connected her to numerous of other TikTokers seeking justice.

“Anna (Clendening) happened to message me,” Baenen said Tuesday during an interview on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “I’m so happy she did because her and I together were brave enough to be able to go all the way down that embankment. And now we feel like we’re professionals at it. We were very excited to find the card, but now we just feel like we have so many more questions.”

The University of Missouri college senior vanished March 8 after reportedly being removed from a downtown bar. Authorities have been scrambling to retrace his steps in a bid to unravel the circumstances of his disappearance.

On Monday, newly released body camera footage shows Strain’s brief interaction with a Nashville officer on the night of his disappearance.

Nashville police reiterated that there is currently no indication of foul play in Strain’s disappearance. However, Strain’s stepfather Chris Whiteid told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield Monday night that their family has become frustrated with the investigation.

“We’ve heard multiple people that have tried to call crime-stoppers and leave tips and told they don’t know anything about the Riley Strain case. Lots of confusion. We’re struggling. We’re 10 days in. It’s disheartening,” Whiteid said.

NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report.